The Testimony
of John

Blaine Robison, M.A.

Scripture Text: The Scripture text of John used in this commentary is
prepared by Blaine Robison and based on the Nestle-Aland Greek New Testament. The essentially literal translation seeks to reflect the
Jewish character of the author and writing. See my web article
The Jewish New Testament.

Terminology: In order to emphasize the Jewish nature of the apostolic
canon and its central figure I use the terms Tanakh (Old Testament),
Besekh (New Testament), Torah (Law), Yeshua (Jesus), and Messiah
(Christ). I use the title "The Testimony of John" because that
is how John describes his book (John 21:24). See the
article
Witnesses of
the Good News for background information on this book.

Methodology: For an explanation of abbreviations, acronyms, terminology, spelling conventions, and other information on organization
of the commentary see my
Commentary Writing Philosophy.

Primary Sources: Bibliographic data for works cited may be found at the
end of the chapter commentary. Unless otherwise indicated the following
primary sources are used:

•
The meaning of Greek words is from F.W. Danker, The Concise
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (2009). See the
Greek Guide for the meaning of grammar abbreviations.
Definitions of
Hebrew words are from The New Brown, Driver, Briggs Hebrew and
English Lexicon (1981), given as "BDB." The numbering
system of the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible is
identified with "SH" (Strong's Hebrew number) and "SG" (Strong's Greek
number).
Strong's Online.

•Dates are
from Risto Santala, The Messiah in the New Testament in the Light of
Rabbinical Writings (1992).
Online.

Chapter Outline:

Prologue, 1:1-5

The Forerunner and the Messiah, 1:6-18

The Testimony of the Forerunner, 1:19-34

Presentation of the Messiah, 1:35-51

Prologue, 1:1-5

c. 4000−5,000 B.C.

1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word.

In the beginning: Grk. archē, is a multi-purpose word with the basic
meaning of priority, here identifying the point of derivation or
originating moment; beginning, start. Genesis 1:1 declares the creation
of the triune universe (time-space-matter). "In the beginning" stresses
the commencement of time as something measured by hours, days, months,
years, millennia and ages. Rienecker suggests that archē refers
to the period before creation and is more qualitative than temporal. The
phrase here, being the same as the first words in the LXX of Genesis 1:1
is not accidental, but likely intended as a commentary or midrash on
that verse. Some Christian commentaries fail to mention the Jewish
character of John's opening words to his book.

Risto Santala, Lutheran Bible scholar, comments,

"It is a
remarkable fact that theologians have for so long been so blind that they have
failed to see the Prologue's Jewish background in the New Testament and outside
of it. The opening words of John are, as we noted above, reminiscent of the
Midrashic "overture," in Aramaic petihta. The Jews know the form from the
blessing they use every day with which they sanctify drinking water taken apart
from a meal: "Blessed art thou, O king of the universe: everything was made by
his word", hakkol nihyah bidvaro". Every Jew knows off by heart this
request, which can be found in both the Siddur prayerbook and the
Mishna." (Santala 67)

John, in contrast to Matthew and Luke, does not begin his
book with an infancy narrative. Rather, John begins much earlier in
history in order to fulfill his purpose of demonstrating that Yeshua is
the Messiah and Son of God (John 20:31). The dating of creation is uncertain, but the account of
earth history in the Bible fixes the creation of the heavens and the earth at
several thousand, rather than several billion, years ago. The narrative of
Genesis 1 is straightforward enough for anyone willing to accept the simple
truth that God made
the heavens and the earth and all therein in six days, as God
concisely summarizes it in Exodus 20:11 and 31:17. Unfortunately, too many people are willing to settle for the
fantasies and mythologies of so-called scientists rather than trust the
infallible Word of God.

was: Grk. eimi, impf., to be, a function word used primarily to
declare a state of existence, whether in the past ('was, were'), present
('are, is') or future ('will be'), often to unite a subject and
predicate (BAG). The imperfect tense is used of continuous or repeated
action in past time. In other words, "in the beginning when the heavens
and the earth were being created." the Word: Grk. logos is
used primarily for (1) a vocalized expression of the mind, as
communication ranging broadly in extent of content and variety of form;
word, discourse, statement, message or speech; but also a few times as
(2) a figure of speech for the divine person (also 1Jn 1:1; Rev 19:13).

In the LXX logos stands principally for Heb.
dabar (SH-1697), which has a similar range of meaning: saying,
speech, word, message, report, tidings, discourse, story, command,
advice, counsel, promise, thing, or matter, whether of men or God (Gen
29:13; BDB 182). Logos is also used for Heb. amar (to
utter, say, Gen 34:8), imrah ("speech, utterance, word," Gen
4:23), and Aram. millah (word, utterance, matter, Dan 4:31) (DNTT
3:1087). John uses Logos as a personification of deity who spoke
and commanded into being. As Stern says, "a God who does not speak, a
Word-less God, is no God" (153). "The Word" is the first of at least a
dozen distinctive names, titles or points of identification for Yeshua
in this chapter, some of which will be repeated elsewhere in the book.

John's use of Logos as a personification might seem
strange, but since his audience was primarily Jewish, then Logos
conveys the teaching of the Targums, the interpretative translation of
the Hebrew Scriptures into Aramaic. (For a concise summary see Bruce
Metzger, The Jewish Targums.) The
Targums are important because they reflect the tradition of translating
the Hebrew Scriptures into the common language of the people while being
read aloud. The earliest mention of the practice is in the time of Ezra
(Neh 8:8). In Yeshua's time a meturgan provided translation in
synagogue services (Moseley 11). For John the Greek word logos
corresponds to the Aramaic word "mimra" (also spelled memra,
"word"), a technical theological term used when speaking of God's
expression of himself (Stern 154).

In the Targums the Aram. mimra is sometimes used
interchangeably in reference to God (Shapira 60). The JANT essay "Logos,
a Jewish Word: John's Prologue as Midrash" explains,

"Although
official rabbinic theology sought to suppress all talk of the Mimra or Logos by naming it the heresy of "Two Powers in Heaven" (Hagigah
15a), before the rabbis, contemporaneously with them, and even among them, there
were many Jews in both Palestine [sic] and the Diaspora who held on to a
version of monotheistic theology that could accommodate this divine figure
linking heaven and earth. Whereas Rambam [Maimonides, Medieval writer] and his
followers until today understood the Mimra, along with the Shekhinah
("Presence"), as a means of avoiding anthropomorphisms in speaking of God,
historical investigation suggests that in the first two centuries CE, the Mimra was not a mere name, but an actual divine entity functioning as
mediator." (JANT 547)

The JANT essay goes on to list 9 examples from the Targumim that
suggest the Mimra has many of the same roles of the Logos of John.
DNTT concurs. In the article on Logos, Bertold Klappert says, "the
designation of memra in the Targums appears as the Memra of YHVH
or ADONAI, and always as an executive agent for God's activity" (3:1116), and in
the article on Rhēma Otto Betz says that Aram. memra "appears a
periphrasis [circumlocution] for the God who reveals himself" (3:1120). Alfred
Edersheim (1825-1889), a Jewish scholar who converted to Christian faith,
provides specific data on the usage of Memra in his monumental work The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah:

"In the
Targumim we get yet another expression, which, strange to say, never occurs
in the Talmud. It is that of the Memra, Logos, or 'Word.' Not that
the term is exclusively applied to the Divine Logos. … Altogether that term, as
applied to God, occurs in the Targum Onkelos 179 times, in the so-called
Jerusalem Targum 99 times, and in the Targum Pseudo-Jonathan 321 times. A
critical analysis shows that in 82 instances in Onkelos, in 71 instances in the
Jerusalem Targum, and in 213 instances in the Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, the
designation Memra is not only distinguished from God, but evidently
refers to God as revealing Himself. But what does this imply? The distinction
between God and the Memra of Jehovah is marked in many passages." (Book
1,
Chap. 4, §3)

Risto Santala adds,

"When
Christian Logos interpretation began to spread, the Rabbis avoided using
the word Mimra and censored it from their own writings. The Mimra
or creative word of God was before the creation. Deut. 33:27 says, for example,
that, "The everlasting God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting
arms." Targum Onqelos, the only Targum officially recognized by the
Synagogue, says of this that, "these 'everlasting arms' are the Mimra, through
whom the world was created." (67)

and:Grk. kai, conj. that marks a connection or addition.Kai has three basic uses: (1) continuative – and, also, even; (2) adversative
– and yet, but, however; or (3) intensive
– certainly, indeed,
in fact, really, verily, yea (DM 250f). The first use applies here. Kai is used in the LXX to translate the vav (ו)
character added to words for conjunctive effect. There are over 50 conjunctions in biblical Greek, but kai is by
far the most common in the Besekh, occurring over 9,000 times (BibleHub). The excessive use of conjunctions and beginning verses with a conjunction, as in verse 14 below, is evidence of either an original Hebrew text or Jewish Greek. In contrast to most Bible versions I translate all the
instances of kai (and all the other conjunctions) as a reminder
of John's Hebraic writing style.

the Word: Grk. logos, with the definite article. was:
Grk. eimi, impf. with: Grk. pros,
prep., lit. "near or facing" (DM 110). Since the noun following is in
the accusative case, then pros would have the meaning of being
"in company with" (BAG). Almost all versions translate pros as "with,"
but a few versions give a more specific meaning. GNC translates
pros as "by the side of." The OJB translates the pros with
Yiddish agav ("by"), but notes a parallel verse of Proverbs 8:30
where Wisdom is "beside" ADONAI with Heb. etsel ("a
joining together, proximity, beside" SH-681). The LXX renders etsel
in that verse with para, "to the side of, with." The preposition
here supports the concept of the "persons" or "faces" of God.

In fact, the Hebrew word for "face," panim, used
frequently for the "face" or presence of God (Gen 3:8; 4:14; 32:30;
33:10) is actually plural and could be translated as "faces." In the
Tanakh God has multiple "faces," as may be seen in the figurative terms
used of Him (shield, father, husband, shepherd, healer, savior,
kinsman-redeemer) and the many names ascribed to Him (Adonai,
Adonai-YHVH, El, Eloah, Elohim, El-Elyon, El-Roi, El-Shaddai,
El-Olam, El-Beit-el, El-Elohe-Yisrael, Qadosh, Qadosh Yisrael,
YHVH, YHVH-Elohim, YHVH-Elohim-Elyon, YHVH-Yireh, YHVH-Elohe-Haibriyim,
YHVH-Eloheinu, YHVH-Rophe, YHVH-Nissi, YHVH-M'Kaddesh, YHVH-Shalom,
YHVH-Tsidekenu, YHVH-Rohi, and YHVH-Shammah).

God: Grk. theos, the God of Israel. In secular Greek writings a
number of deities, always represented in anthropomorphic form, were
called theos. In ancient polytheistic culture theos was
not one omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, Creator and ruler of the
universe and certainly not spirit as described in Scripture (John 4:24).
In the LXX theos renders the Hebrew words for God, El,
Eloah and Elohim, as well as the tetragrammaton YHVH
(DNTT 2:67-70). Generally in Scripture theos represents the full
triunity of God (Father + Son + Spirit). As with many other Greek words the LXX infused new
meaning into theos.

The only God in existence is the "God of Israel," an
expression that occurs frequently in the Tanakh and twice in the Besekh
(Matt 15:31; Luke 1:68). Parallel to this formula is "God of Jacob,”
which appears 21 times in Scripture, 13 of which include the longer
formula, "the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob."
Every nation had their deity, but only to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and then
Moses did the true God reveal His name, His election and His
commandments. This God may be the God of the Gentiles (Rom 3:29), but
only if they accept the revelation that He is the God of Israel and join
themselves to Israel. Only the God of Israel saves (Jer 16:19-20).

and God: Grk. theos.
was: Grk. eimi, impf.
the Word: Grk. logos. Almost all versions have "the Word was God." While
the Greek text has a definite article before "God" in the middle phrase,
there is no definite article before "God" in this phrase. The word order
in all the Greek texts is kaitheos ēn [impf. of eimi]
ho logos, "and God was the Word." The same order is found in the
Latin, the
Syriac and the
Hebrew (Delitzsch; BSI-NT) versions. English Bible versions follow
the Greek word order for translating the first and middle phrases, but
not the last. The only English versions that preserve the word order for
the entire verse are the Wycliffe Bible (from the Latin, 1395), the
modern translations of the Syriac (Alexander, Etheridge, Lamsa & Younan)
and from the Greek, Daniel Gruber's The Messianic Writings
(2011).

While the two translations of "the Word was God" and "God
was the Word" may seem like a distinction without a difference John
makes an important point with this word order. A DHE translation note
says, "The word
order communicates the sense of "and God is what the Word was" (329). In
the first phrase John states the eternal existence of the Logos-Dabar.
In the middle phrase he declares that the Logos-Dabar was
alongside of or with Theos-Elohim from the beginning. Then in
this phrase John reverses the proposition to declare that
Theos-Elohim was Logos-Dabar.

Leon Morris rejects the "God was the Word" translation
because he believes it would mean that God and the Word were the same.
Tenney agrees saying, "Unity of nature rather than similarity or
likeness is implied." Yet, the omission of the definite article before
theos allowed the Jehovah's Witnesses to justify translating the
phrase as "the Word was a god." Rather John engages in typical Hebraic
"block logic," a way of expressing concepts in self-contained units or
"blocks" of thought that accept paradox and apparent contradiction
(Wilson 150). For example,
Messianic prophecies in Isaiah describe the expected son as Father and ADONAI
(who is Yeshua, John 8:58):

"For to us
a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be on
his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty
God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isa 9:6 HNV)

"For You
are our Father— even if Abraham would not know us or Israel not
recognize us. You, ADONAI, are our Father, our Redeemer— from
everlasting is Your Name." (Isa 63:16 TLV)

John's opening statement is meant to convey to a Jewish
audience the absolute truth of the Shema, as Yeshua quoted, "Sh'ma Yisra'el,
Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai echad [Hear, O Isra'el, the LORD our God, the LORD is one]" (Mark 12:29 CJB). The apostles did not teach the
worship of three gods, but of the God of Israel, the only God in
existence, who is one. In fact, God is called "The One" periodically in
the Tanakh (e.g. Ps 3:3; 37:24; Isa 40:26; 44:24; 45:7; 49:7; Hos 11:7;
Amos 9:5-6; Zech 14:9). The Jewish apostles also employ this euphemism
(John 1:33; 6:46; 7:18; 12:45; 15:21; Acts 10:42; Rom 5:17; 2Cor 4:6;
Jas 5:20). However, God's oneness does not deny His many "faces" and
indeed the Tanakh reveals God to be complex whose nature is beyond human
comprehension. Thus, Isaiah can speak of "The One" as God and yet not
the Father, The One who would be despised (Isa 49:7).

The enigma remains, though, of how God can be one and yet
be Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Doesn't that make God three beings?
Non-Messianic Jews mistakenly think that Christians believe in three
gods. Yet, nowhere do Yeshua and the apostles say that God is three.
(The so-called Johannine Comma found in 1Jn 5:7 of the KJV is totally
spurious due to its lack of support in Greek MSS, the Greek Fathers, and
the MSS of ancient versions; Metzger 647f.) The Hebrew echad does
mean singularity and uniqueness. When applied to God echad means
that the God of Israel is the only God there is (Isa 45:5). The gods of
other religions are the result of Satan's deception and man's
imagination. And, as such He alone is to be worshipped.

Nevertheless, echad also conveys compound unity.
"One flesh" is the joining of male and female genitals (Gen 2:24). The
Torah says there is "one" statute for the Israelite and for the alien
(Num 15:15), which means the commandments given to Israel at Sinai and
Moab function as a unity. When
Israelites acted in unity they were described as echad (Jdg 20:8; 2Sam 11:7). There is also the echad of a cluster of grapes
(Num 13:23). Thus, echad incorporates the idea of a plurality in
unity, and in reference to God a very complex unity.

In Genesis 1:1 Elohim ("God," plural of Eloah)
created the heavens and the earth. Elohim is a plural noun and
the very nature of the universe attests to plurality in the Creator. The
universe is a compound unity of time, space, and matter, each of which
also consist of three parts. Time has three principal aspects: past,
present, and future, all at the same time. Space has three basic
dimensions or directions: north-south, east-west, and up-down. Nothing
exists in one or two dimensions. (A drawing of two dimensions has three
dimensions.) Matter consists of energy, motion and phenomena at the same
time. (For a detailed explanation of the triunity of the universe see
Dr.
Henry Morris, Biblical Basis for Modern Science, Ch. 2.)
However, time, space and matter can all be divided into sub-categories,
illustrating that their nature is just as complex as the Creator.

A mathematical equation that represents the nature of God
is not 1+1+1=1, but 1x1x1=1. (In this multiplication formula inserting
more "ones" does not change the result.) That is the mystery of God. In
Genesis 1:26 the Creator says, "Let us make man in our image,” and man
is also a plurality in unity (body, soul & spirit), as mentioned in
the very next verse after the one in which God is declared to be one
(Deut 6:5; cf. 1Th 5:23) As indicated above God has revealed Himself with more than one
"face" in Scripture. Genesis 1:2 mentions the Ruakh (Spirit) of
Elohim as moving over the ball of water that would become the
earth. Three men visited Abraham, shared a meal and conversed, and one
of them is identified as YHVH (Gen 18:1-14, 17).

Jacob wrestled with a man he called Elohim (Gen
32:30). Isaiah 48:16 uses three different terms to speak of the divine:
"From the first I have not spoken in secret, from the time it took
place, I was there. And now the Lord
[Heb. Adonai] GOD [Heb. YHVH] has sent Me, and His Spirit
[Heb. Ruakh]" (NASB). Yeshua will later say in John's book, "I and the
Father are one" (John 10:30). Then in his high priestly prayer he will
say, "You, Father, are in me and I in You" (John 17:21). So, John
in typical Jewish manner emphasizes the mystery of the echad or
oneness of the God of Israel who is compound in nature. As Stern notes,
John's declaration of the Word and God is not simply of two separate
beings. It is a matter of both/and, not either/or. Only consider that in
Isaiah 9:6 the prophesied "son" is called "Everlasting Father."

2
This one was in the beginning with God.

This verse may seem like a pointless redundancy, but John
adds a few important points. First, this one, being a demonstrative
pronoun, emphasizes that the Word was (is) a person, not a philosophical
concept. Second, John makes it clear that the Word was not a created being, as
taught by the fourth-century heretic Arius and in pseudo-Christian religions
today. Third, while eternity is a concept beyond human imagination, the rest of
the verse stresses that the existence of the Logos-God (i.e., Yeshua)
predates the beginning of time and creation (cf. Ps 90:2; Prov 8:25; Isa 40:28;
John 17:5; Rev 1:8).

Rabbinic expositions on the pre-existence of the Messiah
were based on two passages:

"His name
shall endure forever; His name shall be continued as long as the sun." (Ps 72:17
ASV)

"But as
for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from
you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from
long ago, from the days of eternity." (Mic 5:2 NASB)

Important for
consideration of this subject is Psalm 72, written by King Solomon. The
psalm is Messianic, that is, it depicts the reign of the righteous and
divine King. Most Bible versions convert the psalm into a wish prayer
with many verses beginning with "May He" or "Let them," as if Solomon
were instructing the people how to pray for him. Instead the Hebrew text
of the verses (2, 4, 6, 8, 12-15, 17-19) declares forthrightly the
nature and actions of the Messiah, the truly Righteous King, which
Solomon was not. The closing doxology drew the attention of the Jewish
Sages:

"17 His name shall endure forever; His name shall be
continued as long as the sun; and His name shall be blessed and all
nations shall call Him blessed. 18 Blessed be ADONAI Elohim, the God of
Israel who only does wondrous things. 19 and blessed forever be His
glorious name; and all the earth will be filled with His glory. Amen,
and Amen." (mine)

Arguing from Psalm 72:17 the Talmud declares,

"It was
taught that seven things were created before the world was created; they are the
Torah, repentance, the Garden of Eden, Gey-Hinnom, the Throne of Glory,
the Temple, and the name of the Messiah.” (Pesachim
54a; also Nedarim39b)

Rabbinic opinion was also influenced by the book of Enoch,
dated prior to the Talmud from the first century BC.
Enoch says,

"Before
the sun and the signs [zodiac], the heavens and the stars were created, the name of the
Messiah was decreed by the Lord of the spiritual powers" (Enoch 48:3). "The
Messiah, Son of God, was chosen and hidden with God before the creation of the
world" (Enoch 48:6). (Quoted in Santala 68).

Scripture is clear that the Messiah is eternal. No other
Jew has ever dared to claim as did the thirty year old carpenter from Nazareth
that, "Amen, amen I tell you, before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58 TLV). In his
high-priestly prayer he says, "Father, glorify Me together with
Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world came to be" (17:5 TLV), and "You loved me before the foundation of the world" (17:24 TLV).

3
All things came into being through him, and without him nothing came into being
that has come into being.

All things: pl. of Grk. pas, all, every. The term conveys
comprehensiveness and in relation to creation includes the basic
elements of the universe, time, space and matter. came into being:
Grk. ginomai, aor. mid., to transfer from one state or condition
to another, which may be expressed in one of three ways: (1) come into
being by birth or natural process; be born or produced; (2) exist through
application of will or effort by a person; be made, be performed; or (3)
undergo a state of existence, change or development; come to be, become,
take place, happen, occur, arise, be, appear, come, arrive. The aorist
tense signifies the completed action in past time, that is, creation was
completed and is not now occurring as evolutionists claim. In the LXX
ginomai renders Heb. hayah (SH-1961), "to fall out, to come
into being, become, come to pass, to be," e.g., 22 times in Genesis 1.

through:
Grk. dia, prep., by means of, through.
The preposition conveys instrumentality in this instance.him: Grk. autos,
personal pronoun, masculine; him. John again emphasizes both the personhood of
the Logos and his part in creation, echoing David's words, "By the word
[Heb. dabar; LXX logos] of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all
their host" (Ps 33:6). and without: Grk. chōris, prep., in a condition or circumstance
not including; without, apart from. him nothing: Grk. houde hen,
lit. "not one thing" (Marshall). In other words, not one molecule, not one atom,
existed before God created. came into being: Grk. ginomai, aor.
mid. that has come into being: Grk. ginomai, perf.
The Greek word order is lit. "and without him became not one thing which has
become" (Marshall). John asserts the agency of creation, first positively, then
negatively. Not only was the Logos present from before the beginning of
time, but the Logos was the agent by which God created the heavens and
the earth. The testimony of the Torah demonstrates this distinction between the
persons of the Godhead.

Exodus 20:1 says, "Then God [Heb. Elohim] spoke all these
words" and the narrative goes on to list the ten commandments. In the fourth
commandment, verse 11, Elohim says, "in six days the LORD [Heb. YHVH] made the
heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the
seventh day" (Ex 20:11; also 31:17). Elohim says that YHVH created. David echoes Elohim's
declaration, "By the word [Heb. dabar; LXX logos] of the LORD
[Heb. YHVH] the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their
host" (Ps 33:6;
cf. Ps 148:5; Heb 11:3). Well, the Logos (=Yeshua, verse 14) = YHVH. Peter
declared before the Sanhedrin that Yeshua is the author of life (Acts 3:15).
Paul concurs with John and Peter that Yeshua, the Word incarnate, was the agent
of creation (Col 1:15-17; 3:10).

John's declaration is especially important in the origins
debate. A number of Christian writers since the early nineteenth century have
needlessly attempted to reconcile the creation account of Genesis 1 and
evolution by amalgamating the two opposing points of view. The
Theistic Evolution position treats the Genesis narrative as parabolic
literature instead of historical fact. The
Progressive Creation position assumes the days of creation correspond to the
ages assigned to the so-called geologic column. The
Gap Theory position assumes a time break between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2
during which angelic warfare cause destruction of God's original creation and the rest of Genesis 1 is
the story of God reconstructing what Satan had destroyed. (The preceding links
are to informational articles at ChristianAnswers.net.)

The various compromise positions on origins have been ably
discredited by creation scientists as being both inconsistent with Scripture and
devastating to biblical theology (BBMS 115-125). For a concise comparison of
the various beliefs about origins see the
chart prepared by
Dr. Henry Morris. In addition, see my web article
The Days of Genesis 1. John concurs with Genesis: "in the beginning God
created." The teaching of Scripture refutes man's false philosophies concerning
the origin and meaning of the world:

●
Scripture refutes atheism, because the universe was created by God.

●
Scripture refutes pantheism, for God is transcendent to that which He created.

●
Scripture refutes polytheism, for one God created all things.

●
Scripture refutes materialism, for matter had a beginning.

●
Scripture refutes dualism, because God was alone when He created.

●
Scripture refutes humanism, because God, not man, is the ultimate reality.

John proceeds from creation by the Word to redemption by
the same Word (Lightfoot 3:239). In: Grk. en, prep., root meaning
"within" (DM 105). him: Grk. autos, personal pronoun, masculine;
him. John again emphasizes the personhood of the Logos. was: Grk.
eimi, impf. See verse 1 above. life:
Grk. zōē, the state of being alive in the physical sense in contrast to
being dead; life. The Besekh not only uses zōē in its normal meaning of
physical existence on planet earth in the presence age, but over forty times for
life that continues into the next age and eternity, half of which are in the
writings of John. In the LXX zōē renders Heb. chay (SH-2416,
alive, living) with both literal and figurative uses. In Scripture only animals
and humans are described as "living" in the literal sense.

God (the Father) has life in himself (John 5:26) and is the
source of life (Gen 1:20-25). The word "life" may be shorthand for
"breath of life" (Gen 2:7), because "living" is defined as that which
has breath (cf. Gen 6:17). John's point is that the Logos had
life in himself. He was not created. Moreover, the Logos has the
capacity to give physical life (Gen 2:7), which was manifested in the
ministry of Yeshua through restoration of life to the dead (Matt
9:18-25; Luke 7:11-15; John 11:1-44), but more importantly the provision
of spiritual life (John 4:14; 5:21; 6:27, 33; 10:28) to those dead in
trespasses and sins (Eph 2:5; Col 2:13). In this creation context it is
no accident that Adam named his wife Chavvah (Khav-vah;
unfortunately "Eve" in Christian Bibles), which means "life," because
the first woman was the mother of all the living. It was the promised
Seed of Chavvah (Gen 3:15) who would be the Life of the world
(Lightfoot 3:239).

and the Life: With the definite article John uses zōē as a
synonymous euphemism for Logos, "the Word." was the Light:
Grk. phōs (Heb. or), that which serves as a revealing or
disclosing medium; light. Light as a physical illumination was the first
created thing (Gen 1:3) and that verse contains the first recorded words
of God, "Let there be light." In God's creation sequence light was
created on the first day, whereas the interstellar lights (stars, sun,
etc.) were not created until the fourth day. Light is the most basic of
all forms of energy and includes not only visible light but all forms of
radiant energy. All the forms of light move in waves at a tremendous
rate of speed known as the velocity of light. As a primal form of energy
light energy is an apt spiritual analogy of the power of Scripture, as
David says, "The unfolding of Your words gives light" (Ps 119:130) (BBMS
225).

Yeshua as "the Light" is a
major theme for John (five times in this chapter, plus 3:19-21; 8:12;
9:5; 12:35-36, 46; and 1Jn 2:8-10; cf. Matt 4:16; Luke 2:32). Ancient Jewish literature connects the idea of Light with
the Messiah in its discussions of various passages in the Tanakh, such
as Genesis 1:3, Psalm 36:10, Isaiah 49:6 and 60:1 and Daniel 2:22.
Risto Santala comments in his book The Messiah in the Old Testament in the Light of Rabbinical Writings
that,

"The
rabbinic Sages treated the references to the first light and the two
great lights created on the fourth day as allusions to the Messiah. The
Rabbis considered the Aramaic word Nehora, "light,” to be one of the
secret names of the Messiah. So, when Yeshua identified himself as the
Light of the World, people understood that he was using a metaphor of
Messianic identity." (36)

On the passage Genesis 1:3 the Targum Neofiti says, "And
the Memra [Word] of YHVH said 'Let there be light' and there was light
by his Memra" (JANT 547; online). In the Tanakh light
is a frequent image for God or God's presence or favor (Ps 27:1; 36:9;
Isa 2:5) (Reinhartz 157). The Midrash known
as Pesikhta Rabbah, which was read from the 9th century on in
connection with feast days, asks, "Whose is this light which falls upon
the congregation of the Lord?" and answers, "It is the light of the
Messiah" (Pesikhta Rabbah 62,1; Shapira 183).

of men: pl. of Grk. anthrōpos, human being; here of mankind
or the human race. In the LXX anthrōpos renders three Hebrew
words: (1) adam, SH-444, used for a human male or generically for
man and woman and as a contrast to animals (e.g., Gen 1:26, 27; 2:5;
2Sam 15:29); (2) ish, SH-376, adult male or husband (Gen 2:23,
24; Job 1:1) and (3) enosh, SH-582, man or mankind, often
signifying the aspect of weakness and mortality (Job 5:17; Ps 8:4-5).
The OJB translates the plural a with Bnei Adam ("descendants of
Adam"). In Genesis the creation of man is the high point, following the
creation of light on which he is totally dependent. His humanity resides
in the life he has been given (Gen 2:7) and his likeness to God (Gen
1:27). Unlike animals he is capable of communion with God (Gen 1:28;
2:7), but through disobedience he falls victim to death. The Hebrew
designation adam no longer simply alludes to creatureliness, but
also to his transitoriness (Gen 3:19) (DNTT 2:564).

5 And
the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

And the Light: Grk. phōs. See the previous verse.
shines: Grk. phainō may mean (1) function
in a manner that makes observation possible; shine, appear, or (2) be in
a state or condition of being visible or observed; appear. The first
meaning applies here. "The light keeps on giving light" (Robertson).
in the darkness: Grk. skotia may mean (1) condition
prevailing when it is night; darkness; or (2) an inward state or
condition amounting to ignorance or benightedness in moral or spiritual
matters; darkness. The second meaning applies here. John states a simple
fact of physics and then applies a spiritual lesson. God created the
blackness of interstellar space on the first day of creation (Gen 1:2;
Isa 50:3). Yet, when He immediately followed that act with creating
light (Gen 1:3), the brightness invaded and dispersed the darkness.
Light was present before there was ever a star in the heavens.

and the darkness did not:
Grk. ou, a particle that strongly negates the verb. overcome
it: Grk. katalambanō, aor., to take over, (1) in a
physical sense to grasp; seize, secure or (2) in a sense of mental
grasping; perceive, comprehend. Danker suggests that John blends these
meanings in the double sense of grasp as to seize and comprehend. In
other words, the darkness neither understood nor quenched the light
(Rienecker). By the laws of physics darkness can never extinguish light.
The spiritual truth is that through the Word of God the sin-darkened
soul must first be enlightened before he can manifest any other form of
spiritual energy in his life (BBMS 225). As Paul says, "For God, who
said, "Let light shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our
hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the
face of Messiah" (2Cor 4:6 TLV).

Autumn, A.D. 26

The
Forerunner and the Messiah, 1:6-18

6 There
came a man, sent from God, his name was Yochanan.

There came: Grk. ginomai, aor. mid. See verse
3 above. The verb possibly alludes to Yochanan's nativity (Luke 1), but
more likely his arrival from the wilderness (Mark 1:4; Luke 3:2) (so
Danker). a man: Grk. anthrōpos, human being, here "a man."
Following the verb is the noun reflecting Yochanan's growth into
maturity. With typical Hebraic understatement John affirms that while
Yochanan was the son of a priest, he did not trade on his status.
Yochanan was an ordinary man, just as Jacob describes Elijah as a "man
like us" (Jas 5:17). sent: Grk. apostellō, perf. pass.
part., to cause to move from one position to another, but often to send
as an authoritative personal representative.

Originally in Greek culture apostellō was used of
sending an envoy to represent a king or a personal representative with
legal powers. In the LXX apostellō translated Heb. shalach
("to stretch out or to send," SH-7971), often in contexts of
commissioning and empowering a messenger (DNTT 1:128). The verb is used
especially in the apostolic writings of the disciples selected and sent
out by Yeshua. The perfect tense indicates the permanent character of
his mission (Morris). from God: Grk. theos, the God of
Israel. See verse 1 above. Finally Yochanan arrived to begin
his God-ordained ministry. his name: Grk. onoma is used in
its central sense of identifying someone. In Hebrew literature it also
carries the extended sense of qualities, powers, attributes or
reputation.

was Yochanan: Grk. Iōannēs attempts to transliterate the Heb.
Yōchanan ("John" in Christian Bibles) and means "the Lord is gracious," an
apt description of the one who would prepare the way of the Messiah (Stern 15).
The Greek name ends with a sigma as customary for masculine names. Early English Bible
versions shortened Iōannēs to four letters and the Mace New Testament
(1729) was the first to use the spelling of "John." Yochanan was
a cousin (degree unknown) of Yeshua, born in Hebron just six months before
Yeshua (cf. Luke
1:26, 36, 56-57). In Luke's birth narrative Zechariah was directed by the angel
Gabriel to name his son Yochanan (Luke 1:13) and when the time came for Brit
Milah (ritual circumcision) bystanders were surprised by the choice of the
name, saying "There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name"
(Luke 1:61). Jewish custom from ancient times is to name a child after a
relative (based on Num 2:2), usually a grandparent.

Actually, Zechariah could have pointed out that there were
three distant relatives with the name Yochanan: a Levite who was
descended from a distinguished line of priests and who served as high
priest in the reign of King Rehoboam (1Chr 6:9-10), one who was high priest when Ezra returned from exile
(Ezra 10:6; Neh 12:11, 22-23) and another post-exilic priest (Neh 12:13, 42)
(Barker 193f). There was also the
famous Hasmonean high priest and prince John Hyrcanus (175-104 B.C.).
The Tanakh also identifies seven notable men from other
tribes who bore this name. In the Besekh there are four other men with the name
Iōannēs: (1) the disciple and apostle
of Yeshua, Mark 1:19; (2) the father of Simon
Peter, John 1:42; (3) a relative of the high priest, Caiaphas, Acts 4:6; and (4)
the nephew of Barnabas, Acts 12:12. (For
the purposes of this commentary the name "Yochanan" will be used for the
Immerser and "John" for the apostle.)

While John offers no dating information on Yochanan's birth
or the commencement of his ministry, Luke does:

Birth: "In
the days of Herod, King of Judea, there was a kohen named Zechariah, from
the priestly division of Abijah." (Luke 1:5 TLV)

"Now in
the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being
governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of the Galil, and his brother Philip
tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of
Abilene, 2 in the time of the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, a
word of God came to Yochanan, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. (Luke
3:1-3 Mine)

Yochanan was most likely born in March, 3 BC, six months
before Yeshua. (See my nativity commentary on
Luke 1.) The beginning of Yochanan's ministry coincides with Caesar
Tiberius, who began the fifteenth year of his reign. Caesar Augustus died on the
19th of August A.D. 14 (per Dio Cassius,
Book 56, 30:5), but at least two years earlier Tiberius was granted
co-princeps
powers. In other words, Tiberius functioned as co-ruler from A.D. 12. It was
customary in the provinces to reckon the co-sovereignty period as part of the
Emperor's reign, thus setting the commencement of Yochanan's ministry in Autumn
A.D. 26 (Edersheim 183; Santala 125).

7 He
came as a witness, that he might testify about the Light, that all might
believe through him.

He came:
Grk. erchomai, aor., come or arrive, mostly with implication of a
position from which action or movement takes place, but it also may
focus on the goal for movement. The apostolic narratives do not say
where Yochanan spent his time from his youth in Hebron to when he
appeared as the Immerser. Some scholars believe he spent time with the
Essenes before commencing his ministry as Messiah's forerunner ("the word of God
came to Yochanan in the wilderness," Luke 3:2), but Scripture and Jewish
literature make no mention of any association with the Essenes. as a witness:
Grk. marturia, attestation of a fact or truth; testimony, witness,
especially in a legal context. Yochanan was the son of a priest and one of the
functions of priests assigned in the Torah was to hear evidence and determine
truth (Deut 17:9; 19:17).

that he might testify: Grk. martureō, aor. subj., to attest to
a fact or truth; testify, attest. John engages in a word play here. Instead of
serving as a judge for a legal determination, Yochanan would serve as a witness
of the truth. A judgment to convict someone of a crime had to be established by
the testimony of two or three witnesses (Deut 17:6; 19:5). However, as a witness
Yochanan did not have to produce other witnesses to verify his testimony. His
word as a priest would be considered unassailable. The burden of proof would
fall on anyone disputing his testimony. about: Grk. peri, prep.
with an orientational aspect relating to being near, about, or having to do with
something; about, concerning. the Light: Grk. phōs. See verse 4 above. The statement of Yochanan's testimony alludes to the answers
he gave in response to the interrogation he received from Judean leaders in
verses 19-24 below.

that all mightbelieve: Grk. pisteuō, aor. subj., in
general Greek usage means to have confidence in the reliability
or trustworthiness of some thing or someone; believe, trust. In the LXX pisteuō
renders the Heb. 'aman, which essentially means to confirm or
support (BDB 52). In the Niphal form 'aman means to be true,
reliable or faithful and can be applied to men (e.g., Moses, Num 12:7),
but especially to God who keeps his covenant and gives grace to those
who love him (Deut 7:9). In the Hiphil form 'aman means to stand
firm or trust as Abraham trusted in God's promise (Gen 15:6). The verb
speaks of a behavioral action, not merely a mental process.

The action begins with the conviction of God's existence,
generosity and faithfulness to His promises (Heb 11:6). If one is truly
convinced, then one trusts; if one believes and trusts, then one is
faithful and produces works of faithfulness (cf. Matt 7:21; Acts 21:20). In the book
of John the noun pistis (faith, belief, faithfulness,
truthfulness) occurs not at all, whereas the verb appears over 80 times
and in every chapter except 18. through: Grk. dia, prep.
See verse 3 above. him: personal pronoun alluding to
Yeshua. Yochanan knew that he was the forerunner of the Messiah (Luke
1:17), so the focus of his ministry was to prepare people spiritually to
welcome the Messiah and the Kingdom of God.

8
That man was not that Light, but hecame in order that he might testify
about the
Light.

That man: Grk. ekeinos, masc. demonstrative pronoun, typically used to refer to a noun
(person or thing) immediately preceding in the Greek
text; that, that one there.was: Grk. eimi, impf. See verse 1 above. Even though Yochanan
fulfilled the prophecy of Elijah's coming (Mal 4:5; Matt 11:14; 17:12), he did
not co-exist with the Light from the beginning. not: Grk. ou, a
strong negation of fact. thatLight: Grk. phōs. See verse 4 above. but: Grk. alla, conj., used adverbially to suggest
another matter or varying viewpoint for consideration; but, one the other hand,
yet, nevertheless, indeed, certainly. hecame: These words
are not in the Greek text, but inserted for clarity. in order that: Grk.
hina, conj., used to add an idea that completes an intention expressed;
in order that. he might testify: Grk. martureō, aor. subj.
See the previous verse. about: Grk. peri, prep.;
about, concerning. the Light: Grk. phōs.

With the
revelation of Yeshua as deity under the figures of Word, Life and Light, John
makes it clear that Yochanan, even though divinely appointed and called, was not
Him. Yochanan was not God and he was not the Messiah. Yochanan might proclaim the
message of repentance, but only the Light from God can bring conviction and
repentance in the human heart. Yochanan
will later make his identity clear to the Judean leaders.

9
There was the true Light, who enlightens every man, coming into the world.

There was the true: Grk. alēthinos, adj., in accord with what is true;
(1) true, in the sense of reliable or dependable; (2) opposite of
superficial, real, genuine, authentic; or (3) in accord with fact or
circumstance, accurate. The first meaning is probably most relevant
here. Light: Grk. phōs. The term has a dual layer of
meaning, both physical and figurative of the Logos. who: Grk.
hos, relative pronoun used to specify or give significance to the
mention of a noun or piece of information that precedes; who, which,
what, that. "Who" is preferred over "which" or "that," since "Light" is
a personification. enlightens: Grk. phōtizō, pres., cause
to be bright with light; provide illumination. Rienecker adds "to
instruct" and says that the present tense of the verb indicates the
revelation is only in Yeshua.

every: Grk. pas, adj., comprehensive in scope; all, every. man:
Grk. anthrōpos, human being. The phrase could also be translated
"all mankind." Yeshua pointed out the obvious that the sun shines on the
good and the bad (Matt 5:45). In the spiritual sense every person has
received knowledge of God, which in Wesleyan theology is called
prevenient grace. coming: Grk. erchomai, pres. mid. part.,
come or arrive, with implication of a position from which action or
movement takes place.

into the world: Grk. kosmos, usually translated "world," has a
variety of uses in the apostolic writings, including (1) the entire
cosmic universe including the earth; (2) the planet upon which mankind
lives; (3) the inhabitants of the earth; (4) everything in the world
that opposes God and is ruined and depraved of character (BAG). In
ancient Greek kosmos denoted order. The LXX of the Tanakh uses
kosmos some ten times for words meaning ornaments, jewelry or
decorations and five times for Heb. tsaba, the "hosts of heaven
and earth," i.e., the stars (Gen 2:1; Deut 4:19). The meaning of
kosmos as "world" is only found in later Greek writings of the LXX
(Wis., 2nd Macc., 4th Macc.). The Tanakh has no word for the "world"
corresponding to the Greek kosmos.

The Tanakh mainly calls the universe "heaven and earth,"
but some writings use Heb. hakkol, lit. meaning "the all," (Ps
103:19); also without the article, kol (Ps 8:7). The Tanakh
presents the universe as consisting of three areas: above the earth (the
heavens, which are also three), the earth, and under the earth, the
underworld (Hades, Sheol). Under the influence of Hellenistic Judaism
the original temporal understanding of the Heb. olam ("age, a
long duration, antiquity or futurity," BDB 761)") acquired the spatial
meaning of kosmos in the sense of "world, universe, the world of
men. The DSS preserved the original meaning of olam, but the
spatial meaning of "world" is found frequently in Rabbinic usage. The
change of meaning especially impacted Jewish apocalyptic writings. "This
world," like "this age," is described in Rabbinic literature as being
under the domination of Satan, sin and death (DNTT 1:522-524).

The Greek construction of the verse raises the question of
whether the phrase "coming into the world" alludes to "every man" or
"the true Light." Morris suggests that if the former were true then it
might mean "every man at the time of his birth." Of course, in Jewish
culture manhood was not conferred until age 13. The "enlightening" could
allude to the age at which a person becomes morally responsible to God.
The verb "coming" better fits the "Light," whose presence in the world
makes revelation possible to every person. John says that the invisible
God became visible and projected His Light into the darkness of this
world (cf. Col 1:15). The declaration of this verse echoes the prophetic
word of Isaiah.

"No longer
will you have the sun for light by day, nor for brightness will the moon
give you light; but you will have the LORD for an everlasting light, and
your God for your glory. Your sun will no longer set, nor will your moon
wane; for you will have the LORD for an everlasting light, and the days
of your mourning will be over." (Isa 60:19-20)

Morris notes an interesting parallel to the present passage
from Jewish literature, namely, "Thou givest light … to all who enter
into the world" (Leviticus Rabbah XXXI, Soncino ed.). Also, the
Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs speaks of the Torah as given "to
lighten every man" (Testament
of
Levi 14:4) (Morris, fn 60, 93).

10 He was in the
world, and the world was made through him, and the world did not know him.

This verse has three parts with layers of meaning. The
first part: He was: Grk. eimi, impf. See verse 1 above. in the
world: Grk. kosmos. See the previous verse. One layer of
meaning is that the Word being God was omnipresent in the universe He created.
Another layer of meaning is that John, the elder apostle, is remembering his time
with Yeshua in the world of Judea, Samaria and Galilee. The Word was everywhere,
but yet He was in one locality. The second part: and the world was made:
Grk. ginomai, aor. mid. See verse 3 above. through him: See the
comment on verse 3 above. John affirms once again the creative activity of the
God who is Word-Life-Light in bringing about the existence of the universe and
all life (Ps 33:6). Moreover, He is also the same God who brought Israel into
existence, both as a people and as a nation.

The third part: and the world did not know him: Grk.
ginōskō, aor., to know, but has a variety of meanings,
including (1) to be in receipt of information; know, learn, find out;
(2) form a judgment or draw a conclusion; think, understand, comprehend,
perceive, notice, realize, conclude; or (3) have a personal relationship
involving recognition of another's identity or value; make acquaintance,
recognize. Any of these meanings could have application. In the LXX
ginōskō renders Heb. yada (SH-3045), which has a similar wide
range of meaning, but in most occasions refers to a personal knowledge,
whether of knowing persons or knowing by experience, as well as knowing
by learning (DNTT 2:395). To the Hebrew mind "knowing" is not
philosophical or theoretical, but based in reality.

The God of Israel was here all along, since creation, and
yet the nations of the world did not know Him. Very few people knew
about Yeshua's nativity. Yeshua's family didn't understand him or his
mission. Few people had a close relationship with Yeshua, because he
couldn't afford to trust people (John 2:23-25). Judean leaders failed to
truly understand who they were condemning (cf. John 8:19; 1Cor 2:8).

11 He came to His
own, and His own did not receive him.

He came: Grk. erchomai, aor., to arrive. See verse 9 above. to: Grk. eis, prep.,
focus on
entrance, frequently in relation to a direction toward a goal or place
and consequent arrival; into, to, toward.His own:
pl. of Grk. idios, adj., belonging to oneself, one's own. Idios
particularly emphasizes the nature of a relationship, that is, belonging to an
individual in contrast to what is public property or belongs to another. (For
application of
idios to property see Matt 22:5; John 10:3; Acts 4:32; 21:6; 28:30). The
adjective is neuter, so it might be rendered "His own things" (Marshall). Gruber
points out that the first mention of "to His own" may mean "to his own home"
since the same exact Greek phrase is used in John 19:27 of John's household and
close relatives into which Yeshua's mother came after having been committed into
John's care (cf. John 1:41; 16:32; cf. 1Tim 5:4, 8).

However, in the immediate context John probably means that
Yeshua came to his land and his culture. After all, Yeshua arrived in a
location, a Land, on planet Earth that belonged to the God of Israel (Lev 25:23;
2Chron 7:20; Isa 14:2, 25; Jer 2:7; 16:18; Ezek 36:5; 38:16; Joel 1:6; 3:2).
and His own: pl. of Grk. idios, his own. The second use of the
adjective is masculine and likely has a more nuanced meaning, such as people. Of
interest is that idios is used to describe a wife's relationship to her
husband (Acts 24:24; 1Cor 7:2; 14:35; Eph 5:22; Titus 2:5; 1Pet 3:1, 5). In
other words, the wife belongs exclusively to her husband and thereby is expected
to be submissive to him.

Idios is never used of the husband belonging to the wife. Thus, the second
use of idios alludes to the covenant people of Israel, the wife of God.
In the Tanakh Israel is pictured as the wife of God (Isa 54:1-8; 62:4f; Jer
31:31; Ezek 16:1-3; Hos 2:19). Several passages in the Besekh depict the
imagery of the Messiah as a bridegroom and the Kingdom being inaugurated by a
wedding (Matt 22:1-14, 25:1-13; Mark 2:18-20; John 3:28-30; Rom 7:1-4; 1Cor 6:13-20;
2Cor 11:2; Eph 5:25-33; Rev 19:7). So, like a wife John also means
that the covenant people belonged to the Word, whether they recognized Him or
not. The Word did not belong to them. This is an important distinction.

did not receive Him: Grk. paralambanō, aor., to receive
to one's side; take, receive; or to cause to go along; take. Crowds flocked after Yeshua because of the miracles, but the majority
did not become his followers. Indeed some who began as followers left him after
a particular confrontational teaching (John 6:66). Yeshua's own family did not
receive him until after the resurrection (cf. Mark 3:21; 6:1-4; John 7:3-5;
1Cor 15:7; Acts 1:14). Gruber suggests finally that verse 11 should be
understood in terms of verses 1-10, which speak of Creation and all humanity
"which were made by him."

However, in the context of this chapter "his own" who "did not
receive him" likely has a more particular meaning than all humanity. A commentary on
Genesis 49:10 by the Medieval Jewish commentator Rashi
may have relevance.

"The
scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a student of the law [Heb. chaqaq,
Po'el ptc, lawgiver, BDB 349] from between his feet, until Shiloh come, and to
him will be a gathering of peoples." (Gen 49:10 Judaica Press Tanach)
[Most Christian versions translate chaqaq as "ruler's staff," but some
have "lawgiver:" KJV, Lamsa, LITV, NKJV, OJB, YLT.]

Rashi:
"Until Shiloh comes: This refers to the King Messiah, to whom the kingdom
belongs, and so did [Targum] Onkelos render it: "until the Messiah comes, to
whom the kingdom belongs." (Online)

Yeshua came to announce the arrival of the Kingdom in his
person (Mark 1:15). The plural nature of the adjective idios and the verb
paralambanō implies no one believed in Yeshua and the statement functions
as a lamentation. A Jewish saying illustrates how John could speak in such
generalities: "If five sons are faithful and two are not, you may cry, ‘Woe is
me, for my sons are unfaithful!’” (Stern 386). Of course, John's lament is
qualified by the next verse.

12 But as many as
received Him, he gave to them power to become children of God, to the ones
trusting in His name,

But: Grk. de, conj., used to indicate (1) a contrast to a preceding
statement or thought, "but;" (2) a transition in presentation of subject
matter, "now, then;" or (3) a connecting particle to continue a thought,
"and, also" (BAG). In this verse the conjunction introduces a contrast.
as many as: Grk. hosos, relative pronoun, signifies
maximum inclusion; as many as, all who. received: Grk. lambanō,
aor. The verb marks the transit of a person from a position to
another person who is the agent with the latter being also the receptor;
to take or receive. Here the verb connotes recognizing Yeshua's
authority (BAG 465). Him: Grk. autos, pronoun, him. The
pronoun completes the thought, "as many as received Yeshua the Messiah."

he gave: Grk. didōmi, aor., to give, often with
the focus on generosity. In the LXX didōmi generally renders Heb.
natan, SH-5414, to give, used in one of three settings (1) by men
one to another; (2) by men to God; and (3) by God to men (DNTT 2:41).
to them: pl. of Grk. autos, pron. power: Grk.
exousia, the right to speak or act in a situation without looking or
waiting for approval; authority, right, jurisdiction. BAG identifies a
second meaning as ability to do something, capability, might, power, and
identifies this as the intended meaning in this verse. Thayer concurs
with BAG. The translation of "power" is found in the KJV, NIV, NKJV,
NRSV, and RSV. Many modern versions translate exousia as "right,"
but this translation gives the wrong impression. We are inherently
children of wrath, so no one can claim becoming a child of God as a
right.

to become: Grk. ginomai, aor. mid. inf. See verse
3 above. children: pl. of Grk. teknon, child, here used
figuratively for being birthed into a spiritual family. of God:
Grk. theos, the God of Israel. The expression "children of God"
only occurs in the words of the apostles John (here; John 11:52; 1Jn 3:1-2, 10; 5:2) and Paul (Acts 17:29; Rom 8:16, 21; 9:8;
Php 2:15).
John goes on to explain who may qualify to be numbered among the
children of God. to the ones trusting: Grk. pisteuō,
pres. part., to trust in the reliability of God. See
verse 7 above.

in: Grk. eis, lit. "into." See the previous
verse. His name: Grk. onoma. See verse 6 above. The "children of God" are those who have
received Yeshua as Messiah and Savior. In his Mars Hill sermon Paul uses
"children of God' in a generic sense of mankind created by God (Acts
17:29), since all are created in the image of God (Gen 1:26-27), but he
immediately points out the necessity of repentance to avoid divine
judgment. The "children of God" are those who know and serve the God of
Israel.

13 who were born,
not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of a man, but of God.

who were born: Grk. gennaō, aor. pass., to father,
beget or procreate; here used figuratively of spiritual birth. not: Grk.
ou, a negative particle that makes an emphatic denial of fact. of
blood: pl. of Grk. haima may refer to human or animal blood. Haima also has figurative uses in the apostolic writings as the seat of
life, as an expiatory sacrifice and as an prophetic color portending disaster.
John could mean either being born in the genetic sense as an Israelite or being
born as a result of offering a sacrifice at the temple. Being descended from
Jacob is no guarantee of spiritual life (Rom 9:6) and the blood of bulls and
goats never created spiritual birth (Heb 10:4). nor: Grk. oude,
negative particle that links a negative statement as complementary to a
preceding negative. of the will: Grk. thelēmamay mean (1) that which is to be carried out according
to wish or purpose, will; or (2) the act of willing, will or desire.

of the flesh: Grk. sarx, "flesh," has both literal and figurative
uses in Scripture. Sarx refers basically to being alive in an earthly or
physical way, including parts of the body; flesh, human being, person. Sarx
is also used of a condition of human perspective, which may reflect a natural
limitation, personal desire or sinfulness. In the LXX sarx stands for Heb. basar,
which denotes flesh as (1) the food of men, Gen 41:2; (2) tissues or parts of
the human body, Gen 2:21; (3) the human body in its entirety, specifying the
part for the whole, Ps 63:2; and also figurative of close relations, Gen 29:14,
and even all mankind, Job 34:15 (DNTT 1:672). Frequently basar emphasizes
man's essential nature in contrast with God, e.g., man's transitoriness,
frailty, dependence or incapacity (Ps 78:39; 119:120; Prov 5:11; Isa 31:3; 40:6,
8).

The "will of the flesh" may have two possible meanings.
First, no one becomes a child of God by unilateral decision or self-effort. God took and takes
the initiative and we are saved because of His faithfulness, not our faith, His
empowerment, not our ability.
Second, John may also refer to becoming a son of Abraham by circumcision, i.e.,
a proselyte. The Jerusalem Council ruled firmly that spiritual birth did not
require physical circumcision (Acts 15:1, 11, 19; Rom 2:28-29).

nor of the will of a man:
Grk. anēr (Heb. adam), an adult man without regard to
marital status, but in this context probably one who has taken a woman as a
wife. Thus, no woman can obtain spiritual birth or be included in the Kingdom of
God by marriage and decision of a husband. These three categories allude to the
pride one might feel in these connections as a way of creating a hierarchy. "I'm
a child of God because I'm descendant from Jacob or I'm descended from David, or
I'm descended from Aaron. OR "My husband is a priest or my husband is a rabbi or
my husband is a judge." but: Grk. alla, conj. used adverbially to
convey a different viewpoint for consideration; but, on the other hand. of
God: Grk. theos, the God of Israel. To receive spiritual birth
requires divine procreation.

The suggestion by Reinhartz (158) that the language of
verses 12-13 contrasts a biological-based covenant of the Jews with a
faith-based covenant of the apostles imposes an artificial distinction
that does not exist in Scripture. God's covenants have never been about
biology, but His promises of grace and favor and His expectation of
faithful obedience by the covenant's recipients. Wilson makes an
important point about verses 12 and 13 (138). Apostolic theology is
relational or existential rather than propositional or creedal. The
adoption of believers into the divine family is a powerful example of
the importance of relationship to God. Moreover, that relationship came
about solely because of God's initiative.

14 And the Word
became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw the glory of him, glory as of the
only one from a father, full of grace and truth.

And: Grk. kai, conj. See verse 1
above.
the Word: Grk. logos. See verse 1 above. became: Grk.
ginomai, aor. mid., was begotten or was born. See verse 3 above. The Hebrew-English Bible renders ginomai here with
Heb. labash (SH-3847, to put on, wear, clothe, be clothed), instead of
the usual hayah (to become), which is a stronger word picture of the
impregnation of Miriam and the fetal development than simply "became." Job uses
the same word picture of being "clothed with skin and
flesh, and knit together with bones and sinews" (Job 10:11). However, ginomai
is used Job 10:19 where he laments of having "become" as one carried "from womb
to tomb." In that regard Job is a figure of Yeshua, the Suffering Servant. Psalm
139:13-16 may also be viewed in a Messianic sense that the incarnation in the
womb and the number of Yeshua's days on earth were ordained from before
creation.

flesh: Grk. sarx. See the previous verse. The phrase
"became flesh" could be translated as "born human." Here we learn that this Word
is Yeshua and in Revelation 19:13 Yeshua is explicitly called "the Word of God.”
This simple statement declares in no uncertain terms that the Word became a
human being, with all its limitations (cf. Rom 8:3; Php 2:6-8; Heb 4:15), and
in a supernatural but normal way of impregnation and birth (Luke 1:35). The Word became flesh in 3 BC,
most likely in September. See my nativity commentary:
Matthew 1 and
Luke 1. My suggested timeline is a follows:

·
December, 2 BC: The arrival and adoration of the Magi and flight of the holy
family to and sojourn in Egypt (Matt 2:1-15).

·
February, 1 BC: Death of Herod the Great (Matt 2:19).

·
March, 1 BC: Return of the holy family to Nazareth (Matt 2:19-23).

and dwelt: Grk. skēnoō, aor., to take up residence;
live, dwell, encamp. In the LXX skēnoō occurs only once and renders Heb.
ahal (SH-167, to move a tent from place to place, Gen 13:12). However,
two related nouns are important: (1) skēnē, from which the verb is
derived, and (2) skēnōma, which is derived from the verb. Skēnē
(tent, dwelling, Tabernacle) occurring 430 times, and skēnōma (place in
which to stay, 'tent, habitation'), occurring 80 times, are used synonymously.
Generally they refer to three different structures: ohel (a tent used for
habitation, Gen 4:20; Deut 33:18), sometimes mishkan (Tabernacle,
dwelling, Ex 25:9), and on occasion sukkah (booth, Lev 23:34).

The Tabernacle is never called sukkah but ohel
or ohel moed ("tent of meeting," the appointed place where God meets his
people, Ex 36:26; Josh 6:24) or sometimes mishkan (the place where God
resides). It was also called the "tent of testimony" (Heb. ohel edut;
Grk. skēnē tou marturiou; Acts 7:44) because it contained the covenant
tablets. As a result of the LXX equation of mishkan with skēnē,
the Greek word could refer to what was permanent (cf. Luke 16:9; Heb 8:2) rather
than impermanent (DNTT 3:811). Important to this context is that Paul uses skēnos (a derivative of
skēnē) as figurative for the human body (2Cor 5:1, 4) and skēnē for Yeshua's physical body (Heb 9:11). Applied to
human life "tent" illustrates transitoriness over against the permanence of the
resurrected body.

among: Grk. en, prep., lit. "in," but here in the locative sense;
among. us: pl. of Grk. egō, pronoun of the first person,
i.e., the Jewish people. The declaration of "dwelt among us" may allude
to 2 Samuel 7:6, "Since the day I brought the people of Isra'el out of
Egypt until today, I never lived in a house; rather, I traveled in a
tent and a tabernacle" (CJB). The likening of the Word becoming flesh to
the Tabernacle is purposeful. Like the Tabernacle God was in Yeshua.
Like the Tabernacle Yeshua represented God's covenant with his people.
Like the Tabernacle God met his people through Yeshua. Like the
Tabernacle Yeshua was the faithful testimony of God's love to the world.
However, Yeshua replaced the Tabernacle (and its successor the Temple)
(Heb 8:1-2) and is therefore greater than the Tabernacle (Heb 9:11).

With "among us" John also asserts that there was ample
evidence that Yeshua was a real human being who interacted with other
human beings, as attested by the other apostles. In his letters written
toward the end of his life John reminds people that he had both seen and
touched this man (1Jn 1:1) and warned disciples that only deceivers
deny the humanity of Yeshua (2John 1:7). Stern also makes an important
point: "It is not that a man named Yeshua, who grew up in Natzeret, one
day decided he was God. … It is God the Word who decided to become man,
not the other way round."

Unbelieving Jews would say that it's impossible for God to
take on human flesh. After all God is spirit (John 4:24) and His ways are high
above our ways as the heavens above the earth (Isa 55:8-9). How can he be human
and still be God? Denial of the incarnation is expressed in the third article of
the thirteen-point creed of Moses Maimonides, the Medieval Jewish sage: "I
believe with perfect faith that the Creator, blessed be his name, is not a body,
that he is free from all material properties, and that he has no form
whatsoever" (Stern 156). The apostles were very aware of this conundrum, but
declared that the fullness of God dwelled bodily in Yeshua (2Cor 5:19; Col
1:19; 2:9). What
unbelieving Jews ignore is the Tanakh speaks of God appearing in a corporeal or
physical form.

First, there are passages that speak of God appearing as a man:

· In Genesis 18 Adonai appeared to Abraham (18:1) in the
guise of a man, one of three men who visit (18:2). The narrative clearly
identifies one of the men as YHVH who prophesies Sarah's pregnancy (18:13). Two of the
men are later identified as angels who go to Sodom to carry out the decree of
judgment (Gen 19:1) Of contrast to Rabbinic kashruthalakhah is
that Abraham served Adonai meat and milk together (Gen 18:8).

· In Genesis 32 Jacob wrestled with a man (v. 34) whom Jacob later
identifies as "the face of Elohim" (v. 30). This man also changed Jacob's name
to Israel (v. 28), which only God had the right to do.

·In
Joshua 5:13-15, Joshua meets a man who identifies himself as the sar
(prince, chief) of the host of the LORD. In Isaiah 9:6 the son who will be given
is called sar shalom.

·Ezekiel 1:26-28 describes a man having the
"likeness of the glory of
Adonai."

Second,
there are passages where the "angel of the LORD" (Heb. malak Adonai)
is identified as God and/or speaks in the first person as God. On none of these
occasions does the malak Adonai
employ the standard introduction of prophetic messengers who say "thus says the
LORD." Rather the malak Adonai
speaks as Adonai.

·In
Exodus 3:3-10the
malak
Adonai
appeared to Moses in a burning bush. The malak Adonai
is identified in the third person as YHVH and speaks in the first person as God.

· In Judges 2:1-3 the malak Adonai
appears to the people of Israel and speaks in the first person as God.

·In
Judges 6:11–24 the malak Adonai
appears to Gideon and again speaks in the first person as God.

· In Judges 13:2–23 the malak Adonai
appears to Manoah and
his wife, the parents of Samson (Heb. Shimshon), and speaks in the first
person giving commands as God (Jdg 13:2–23). Of interest is that Monoah's wife
remarked that the visitor looked like a man.

Third,
there are passages that mention some physical characteristic or activity of God.
These are
not anthropomorphisms, which only occur in poetic literature. While
they could be idiomatic expressions, they nonetheless indicate God's
affinity for humanity since we are created in His image.

· In Genesis 3:8, Adonai Elohim walks in the garden.

· In Exodus 24:9-10 the seventy elders of Israel "saw Elohim, the God of
Israel" and He had feet.

and we saw: Grk. theaomai, aor., to look upon with
special interest; see, look at, behold, take notice of. The verb
emphasizes a special perception or realization. the glory: Grk.
doxa has four categories of meaning: (1) splendor or radiance in
the sense of brightness, (2) magnificence in the sense of what catches
the eye, (3) fame, renown, honor or approval, and (4) glorious as in the
angelic beings and majesties. In the LXX doxa translates Heb.
kabod (pronounced "kah-vohd"), which refers to the luminous
manifestation of God's person, his glorious revelation of Himself.
Characteristically, kabod is linked with verbs of seeing and
appearing and stresses the impact that the manifestation of a person or
God makes on others. In the apostolic writings doxa is a
continuation of the underlying Hebrew concept (DNTT 2:45).

The OJB renders doxa with Heb. kavod, but the
CJB has sh'khinah. Shekhinah does not occur in the Tanakh
at all, but does occur frequently in the Targums and the Mishnah to mean
"the glorious presence of God,” particularly in reference to the glory
cloud that led the people out of Egypt and through the wilderness (Ex
16:10), and filled the Tabernacle (Ex 40:34) and later the Temple (2Kgs 8:11). Shekinah is derived from the verb shakan, to abide
or dwell (Ex 25:8) and shakan is the root of the noun mishkan
or tabernacle (Ex 25:9). The term is also used frequently in early
Jewish writings as a euphemism for the name of God. (See the article
Shekinah, Jewish Virtual
Library.)

of him: Grk. autos, personal pronoun, i.e., Yeshua. John's
use of "glory of him" is probably an allusion to the transfiguration of
Yeshua to which John was a witness along with his brother Jacob and
Peter (Matt 17:1). The mountain-top experience of the apostles was
comparable to Israel witnessing the transfiguration of Moses whose face
shone so much with the glory of God that he had to wear a veil (Ex
34:29-35; 2Cor 3:13). glory: Grk. doxa. Both the CJB and
OJB translate this instance of doxa with Sh'khinah, but
glory seems more suitable because John proceeds to add a layer of
meaning to the concept of glory. as: Grk. hōs, conj. that
connects narrative components and functions as a simile; like, as,
similar to. John defines "glory" in comparison to a very earthly, human
experience.

ofthe only one: Grk. monogenēs, genitive case functioning
as an adj., being the only one of a kind; sole, only, unique. Some
versions offer the interpretation of "only Son" (CJB, ESV, HNV, NCV,
NIRV, NIV, NLT, NRSV, RSV), even though "son" (Grk. huios) is not
in the Greek text of this verse. The traditional translation inserts
"begotten" (ASV, DRA, KJV, MW, NASB, NKJV), no doubt to add emphasis to
the opening phrase of "became flesh." The word monogenēs occurs 9
times in the Besekh: (1) of the only son of a widow of Nain, Luke 7:12;
(2) of the only daughter of Jairus, Luke 8:42; (3) of the only son of an
unnamed man, Luke 9:38; (4) of the miracle son of Abraham, Isaac, Heb
11:17 (cf. Gen 22:2, LXX "beloved"); and (5) of Yeshua, all in the
writings of John (verse 18 below; 3:16, 18; 1Jn 4:9).

In the LXX monogenēs renders Heb. yachid
(SH-3173, "only, only one, solitary") used of oneself (Ps 22:20; 35:17),
and an only daughter (of Jephthah, Jdg 11:34). Sometimes yachid
is translated with Grk. agapētos ("beloved"), first of Isaac (Gen
22:2, 12, 16) and then fig. of the loss of an only son (Jer 6:26; Amos
8:10; Zech 12:10). The LXX translators probably used agapētos
instead of monogenēs for Isaac, since he was not Abraham's only
son. However, Paul makes a connection between these two words in Hebrews
11:17 where he describes Isaac as monogenēs ('only') instead of
agapētos ('beloved'). Of interest is that Yeshua is described 9
times as "beloved son" in the Besekh (Matt 3:17; 17:5; Mark 1:11; 12:6;
9:7; Luke 3:22; 20:13; Col 1:13; 2Pet 1:17), but not in John's
writings. Translators, of course, prefer "only begotten" for John's
passages because the meaning of monogenēs seems heightened into a
special category for Yeshua (BAG 529).

from: Grk. para, prep., beside, alongside of, with. The resultant
meaning is "from." a father: Grk. patēr, normally of a
male biological parent or ancestor, but frequently in reference to God,
which emphasizes both his activity as creator and sustainer. In the LXX
patēr renders ab ("av"), which occurs about 1180 times,
generally in the human sense, but also of God as father in relation to
Israel (Ex 4:22; Deut 1:31; 8:5; 32:6; Isa 63:16; 64:8) (DNTT 1:616f).
Most versions render the word as "the Father," meaning the divine person
Yeshua frequently mentions, perhaps anticipating verse 18 below and John
3:16. A few versions, taking note of the fact that the noun lacks the
definite article and that John used hōs to indicate a comparison,
translates as "a father" (CEB, DARBY, DHE, NRSV, YLT).

What does the phrase "glory as of the only one of a father"
mean? This is no allusion to Joseph who had sons of his own by Miriam.
John may be emphasizing that Yeshua was unique in that the Word in verse
1 took on human flesh. Luke portrays the Holy Spirit as the executive
agent for the Father to impregnate Miriam: "The Ruach ha-Kodesh
will come upon you, and the power of Elyon will overshadow you"
(Luke 1:35 TLV). Being the only son of a father, and a good son as
illustrated by the adjectives that follow, would naturally elicit pride
in the father. The Father in heaven demonstrated this enthusiasm by
informing people that Yeshua was his beloved son and that they should
listen to him (Matt 3:17; 17:5; Mark 1:11; 9:7; Luke 3:22; 9:35; 2Pet 1:17). Another thing to consider is that Yeshua had something in common
with all the other persons identified as monogenēs, either death
or the threat of death. Paul also links the death of Yeshua with glory
(Rom 6:4; Heb 2:9).

full: Grk. plērēs, in a state or condition of being supplied
abundantly with something, filled up, full of. of grace: Grk.
charis, disposition marked by inclination to generosity, frequently
unmotivated by the worth of the recipient; thus, grace, gracefulness,
graciousness, favor, thanks or gratitude. In the LXX charis
occurs about 190 times of which only about 75 have a Hebrew equivalent,
of which 61 are for Heb. hēn (favor) (DNTT 2:116). The use of hēn in biblical history
depicts the stronger coming to the help of the weaker who stands in need
of help by reason of his circumstances or natural weakness.

and truth: Grk. alētheia may mean (1) truthfulness,
dependability, uprightness in thought and deed, (2) truth as opposed to
what is false, or (3) reality as opposed to mere appearance (BAG). All
those meanings have application here. In the LXX alētheia
regularly translates the Heb. emet (SH-571), "firmness,
faithfulness, truth" (BDB 54); also "permanency, durability" (HELB 19),
although Christian Bibles sometimes render it as "truth" and sometimes
as "faithfulness" (DNTT 3:877). Emet is often used for
truthfulness in God and piety in man. The Rabbis explain rather
pedantically that emet contains the first, middle and last
letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and that truth ought to be trustworthy
through and through (Santala 72). Santala also points out that the
combination of "grace and truth" is first found in the Torah, extolling
the nature of YHVH,

In the Prophets and the Psalter YHVH is depicted many times
as possessing the twin virtues of hēn and emet. As Yeshua
will go on in this Book to assert many times that he is YHVH, those
descriptions in the Tanakh belong to him.

15 Yochanan
testified concerning him and cried out, saying, "He was who I said, 'The One
coming after me has come before me, because he was before me.'"

Yochanan: Grk. Iōannēs, the Immerser. See verse 6
above. testified: Grk. martureō. See verse 7 above. Rienecker calls the verb an historical present,
which means a past event is viewed with the vividness of a present
occurrence. concerning: Grk. peri, prep., lit. "around;"
about, concerning. him: Grk. autos, personal pronoun;
i.e., the Messiah in general and Yeshua in particular. and cried out:
Grk. krazō, perf., to utter a loud cry or to express
something with vigorous voice, to call out. Yochanan raised his speaking
volume to be heard in the public place. saying: Grk. legō,
pres. part., to make a statement or utterance, whether oral or in
written form. In the LXX legō renders Heb. amar (SH-559), to utter, say, shew,
command or think. The Greek verb "say" functions as quotation marks for the text
following since ancient writings did not contain punctuation.

me: Grk. egō, pronoun of the first person. Yochanan could also be
engaging in word play since Yeshua was born after Yochanan and Yeshua began his
ministry after Yochanan. has come: Grk. ginomai, perf.
See verse 6 above. The perfect tense indicates a divine appointment
that existed from the time that Yeshua was born. before: Grk. emprosthen, as prep. and adv., expresses position that is in front or ahead;
before, in front of. me: Grk. egō. because: Grk. hoti,
conj., indicating causality with an inferential aspect; for, because,
inasmuch as. he was:
Grk. eimi, impf. before: Grk. prōtos. The
basic idea has to do with 'beforeness.' The term is used in two ways: (1) having
primary position in a temporal sequence; first, earlier, earliest; and (2)
standing out in significance or importance; first, most prominent, most
important, first of all. The first meaning fits best here. me: Grk. egō.

John engages in a word play involving both temporal
position and rank. Yeshua was physically standing in front of Yochanan, but
before Yochanan in the eternal sense and he was also of much higher rank than
Yochanan in the Kingdom of God.

16 For we
all received of his fullness, and grace after grace.

For: Grk. hoti, conj. See the previous verse. we all:
The double emphasis of hēmeis pantes offers a comprehensive
identification, although it could be somewhat hyperbolic. "We" would
refer to the Jews of John's time, particularly in Israel and even more
particularly of those who chose to follow Yeshua. He is not making a
universal statement of humanity, although modern readers might extend
the scope of application. received: Grk. lambanō, aor.
See verse 12 above. The verb has the sense of
receiving something from a large supply (BAG 466). of: Grk. ek,
prep., lit. "out of," which points to the transfer from one point to
another. his fullness: Grk. plērōma, that which is
characteristic to a maximum degree, fullness.

and grace: Grk. charis, grace or favor. See verse
14 above. Some versions translate the term as "gift" (GW, MSG, MW,
MRINT, NCV, NET) and others as "blessing" (AMP, CEV, ERV, NIRV, NLT,
TEV, TLB). after: Grk. anti, prep., with the genitive case
of the noun following refers to an entity replaced or exchanged for
another, here in the sense of succession; after. Anti occurs
frequently in the LXX and renders Heb. tachath (SH-8478, in place
of, instead of) with the dominant meaning of substitution (e.g., Gen
22:13; 29:27; 30:2, 15; 44:33; Num 3:12) (DM 100). Morris points out the
lit. meaning is "grace instead of grace." Some Christian scholars
interpret anti to mean the replacement of the Old Covenant by the
New Covenant (Rienecker), which means they unwittingly admit that the
Old Covenant was a covenant of grace.

Christians overlook the fact that the New Covenant was made
with Judah and Israel; no Gentiles and certainly no Christian Church are
mentioned (Jer 31:31-33; 32:36-40; Ezek 11:17-21). The terms of the New
Covenant (Heb. B'rit Chadash) were that God would write the Torah
on their hearts, that Adonai will be Israel's God, that Israel will be
his people, that all would know God without a teacher, that there would
be forgiveness of sins and that all the former promises are "Yes" in
Him. The New Covenant of which Yeshua spoke at the Last Supper (Luke
22:20) is the New Covenant of Jeremiah. The apostles also declared that
these promises find their fulfillment in Messiah Yeshua (Heb 12:24; cf.
Isa 42:6). Gentiles receive the benefits of this covenant by virtue of
being grafted into the Olive Tree (Rom 11) and being granted citizenship
in the Commonwealth of Israel (Eph 2). So, the New Covenant does not
replace the Old Covenant, but rejuvenates it and empowers disciples to
fulfill its expectations.

grace: Grk. charis. In other words, having begun with God His grace
keeps on increasing and we receive new benefits and blessings not
previously enjoyed. Morris does not view "grace after grace" as a
covenant replacement, but a simple statement of experience with God. As
one piece of divine grace (so to speak) recedes it is replaced by
another. God's grace to His people is continuous and never exhausted.
Grace knows no interruption and no limit. "Grace after grace" means an
ever deepening experience of the presence and blessing of God.

17 For the
Torah was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Messiah
Yeshua.

For the Torah: Grk. nomos may mean either a principle or standard
relating to behavior or codified legislation, i.e. law. The usage of
nomos in the Besekh has a much deeper meaning. In the LXX nomos
translates torah, but torah does not mean simply "law" or
"laws" as the English word conveys. Torah means "direction,"
"teaching" or "instruction" and comes from the root yarah, which
means to throw, to shoot (as in arrows), or to cast (as in lots) (BDB
435f). In theTanakh torah not only refers to
commandments, statutes and ordinances decreed by God and given to Moses,
but also custom or manners of man, e.g. direction given by priests (Deut
24:8; 33:10). Torah sets forth the way a person is meant to live in an
ethical and moral way in order to enjoy life to the full and to please
God.

In normal Jewish
usage in the first century the term Torah could mean the commandments
given to Israel at Sinai and Moab (Matt 12:5; John 8:5) or the entire
Pentateuch, especially when used in combination with "the Prophets"
(Matt 22:40; John 1:45). Yeshua used the term as a synonym for Scripture
generally (Matt 5:18; John 10:34; 12:34; 15:25). Yeshua and his apostles
constantly emphasized the continuing authority of the Torah and all of
Scripture for life (Rom 15:4; 2Tim 3:16-17). For more discussion on this topic see my web article
Under the Law.

was given: Grk. didōmi, aor. pass. See verse
12 above. The verb emphasizes that the Torah was not humanly invented,
but prescribed by God Himself. through: Grk. dia, prep.,
by means of, through. Delitzsch renders the preposition with the Heb.
al-yedey, "by the hand of," which is entirely appropriate to convey
the Jewish view of the authorship of the Torah. Several passages
emphasize that the Torah was physically written by Moses (Ex 24:4; Deut
25:58; 31:9, 22; Josh 1:8; 8:31-32; Luke 20:28). From the Jewish point
of view the Torah came about because "YHVH spoke and Moses wrote." And, who is
YHVH? None other than Yeshua (John 8:58).

Moses: Grk. Mōusēs
transliterates Heb. Mosheh, which is
most likely derived from Egyptian mes meaning "child" or "son"
(BDB 602), since the daughter of Pharaoh named him (Ex 2:10). She
explained the chosen name by saying, "Because I drew [Heb. mashah,
"to draw"] him out of the water." Moses was the
great Hebrew leader, prophet and lawgiver of Israel. Moses was a Levite,
the son of Amram and Jochebed (Num 26:59). He had two wives,
Zipporah (Ex 2:21; 18:2) and a Cushite woman (Num 12:1), and two sons of
Zipporah, one named Gershom and the other named Eliezer (Ex 18:3-4).
Moses was the leader of the Israelites in their deliverance from
Egyptian slavery and oppression and their journey through the
wilderness.

At Mount Sinai Moses served as mediator to facilitate the
beginning of the covenant relationship between God and Israel. Forty
years later on the plains of Moab Moses renewed the covenant with Israel
and made preparations for their entry into the promised land. Moses
compiled, wrote and/or edited the five books attributed to his name (Ex
24:4; Deut 31:9; Mark 12:19; Luke 24:27, 44; Acts 15:21; Rom 10:5) and
left Israel with the rich legacy of God's Word. He was a heroic leader
of the people and as a devout man of God. His story is found in the
extensive narratives from Exodus 1:1 through Deuteronomy 34:1. Moses was
a giant of a man. Moses died at the age of 120 and God buried him in the
land of Moab (Deut 34:5-7). See my article
Moses and Yeshua.

[but]: A number of versions insert the conjunction "but" at this
point even though it is not in the Greek text (AMP, CEV, ERV, GW, KJV,
NCV, NET, NKJV, NLT TEV). The use of "but" is clearly designed to create
a sharp contrast between the first and second parts of the verse. In
fact, its position gives the impression that only what comes after the
"but" is important and worthy of consideration.

grace: Grk. charis. See verse 14. and truth: Grk.
alētheia. See verse 14 above. came: Grk.
ginomai, aor. mid. See verse 3 above. through:
Grk. dia, prep., through, indicating agency. Messiah: Grk.
Christos, the expected fulfiller of the hopes of Israel for an
end-time deliverer, the Anointed One or Messiah. The English "Christ"
transliterates the Greek title, but does not translate it. In Greek
culture christos comes from chriein, to rub lightly, and
in its secular use had no religious connotation at all. Christos
as an adjective described someone smeared with whitewash, cosmetics or
paint, and was anything but an expression of honor. As a personal
reference it even tended toward the disrespectful (DNTT 2:334).
Christos was chosen deliberately by the Jewish translators of the
LXX to render Mashiach and in so doing infused new meaning into
the Greek word.

The Heb. title Mashiach means 'anointed one' or
'poured on.' Mashiach was used in the Tanakh for (1) the
patriarchs (1Chron 16:16-22; Ps
105:15); (2) the High Priest, Lev 4:5; (3) the King,
2Sam 12:3; 2Sam 22:51; Isa 45:1; and
(4) the Messiah, Ps 2:2 and Dan 9:25-26. This last usage defined the
term in the first century A.D. The title of "Anointed One" alludes to a
ceremony of anointing with olive oil to invest one with the authority of
an office. There was no comparable concept in Greek culture. Yeshua was
not physically anointed in his commissioning for ministry, although He
was anointed with the Spirit in accordance with Isaiah 61:1 (Matt 3:16).
However, he was anointed with nard in preparation for his death (Mark.
14:3-8; John 12:3), so in that sense he was physically anointed for his
final and greatest ministry.

Jewish leaders believed that the Messiah would be a
descendant of King David and born in Bethlehem (Matt 2:4-6). He would
fulfill the promises made to the patriarchs and to Israel. Those
promises included redemption for Israel, destruction of the enemies of
Israel, the restoration of Israel to sovereign rule in its land and
establishment of the Davidic monarchy over Israel and the nations (Luke
1:68-74). In fact, the angel Gabriel provided assurance of fulfillment
to Miriam (Luke 1:32) and Paul reiterated the truth (Acts 13:32-34).
What the Jews did not expect was that in order to have a victorious
Messiah, they would have to first have a suffering Messiah, one who
would be an atoning sacrifice (John 1:29).

After the first century Pharisee rabbinical leaders, having
rejected Yeshua as Messiah, posited separate Messiahs, because they
stumbled over the paradoxical nature of Messianic prophecies. On

hand some prophecies speak of a victorious Messiah descended from King
David who will destroy the enemies of Israel and reign as king. Other
prophecies speak of a suffering Messiah who dies for Israel. So the
rabbis called the former Mashiach ben David (Sanhedrin
97a) and the latter Mashiach ben Yosef (Sukkah
52a). In the first century the expectation among Jews was of the return
of King David's throne accomplished by a mighty deliverer.

Yeshua: Grk. Iēsous, a transliteration of the Hebrew name
Yeshua ("Jesus" in Christian Bibles). Yeshua is a
contraction of the Hebrew name Y'hoshua ("Joshua"), which means
"YHVH [the LORD] is salvation" (BDB 221). The meaning of his name is
explained to Joseph by an angel of the Lord, "You
shall call his name Yeshua, for he will save his people from their sins"
(Matt 1:21). The English rendering of "Jesus" originated with the Mace
New Testament in 1729. By virtue of His incarnation and Jewish mother,
Yeshua must still be a Jew. For more information on the meaning our
Lord's name, his identity, and the history of translation of the name
see my web article
Who is Yeshua?

TRANSLATION NOTE: In my translation I purposely place "Messiah" before
"Yeshua." Among Christians "Christ" is generally used first and foremost
to mean the second person of the triune Godhead as presented in
Christian creedal statements. Sometimes Christians use "Christ" as a
last name, which is strange since no one would say "David King." The
fact that the Greek New Testament has Iēsou Christou without a
definite article ("Jesus Christ," both in the genitive case) some 96
times does not obviate the fact that the Jewish writers would not have
intended Christou as anything other than the Messianic title, as
the 64 occurrences of just tou Christou ("the Messiah") attest.
Wherever the construction Iēsou Christou occurs the two proper
nouns should either be separated by a comma "Yeshua, Messiah" or given
simply as "Messiah Yeshua." It cannot be emphasized too many times that
the title Christos, Messiah, was the invention of Jews long
before Yeshua was born and among Christians the translation
of "Christ" tends to obscure Yeshua's Jewish identity.

Contrary to the claim of some interpreters John does not demean Moses.
Moses is compared with the divine Word of God. Moses was the Mediator of
the Torah and Covenant and he prophesied a prophet like him would appear
(Deut 18:15-19). As Stern notes, "that a mere man for whom no claim to
divinity has ever been made should even be compared with the Word of God
incarnate shows how highly Yochanan regards Moshe." John also does not
assert the superiority of "grace and truth" over the Torah. Yeshua
affirmed the enduring authority of Torah (Matt 5:17-19). John is not
saying that grace and truth only appeared with the advent of Yeshua into
the world. Rather the Logos who was with God in the beginning is
the source of grace and truth and God has been continually bestowing
grace and truth on humanity since then. Grace, truth and the Torah are
all from God, supreme expressions of who He is.
For other points of comparison between Moses and Yeshua see my web
article Moses and Yeshua.

18 No one
has seen God at any time; the Only One, God, The One being in the
bosom of the Father, That One has declared Him.

No one: Grk. oudeis, a word that indicates negation of a
person or thing as actually existing at a given place or moment, used
here as a substantive noun. has seen: Grk. horaō, perf.,
to perceive with the physical eyes or to experience extraordinary mental
or inward perception. God: Grk. theos, the God of creation
and the God of Israel, the only God there is. See verse 1
above. at any time: Grk. pōpote, adv. that refers to an
indefinite point in time past, i.e., up to this time. How can John say
this when there is plenty of evidence from the Tanakh that people did
see God? My note on verse 14 above contains three categories of God's
corporeal appearances in the Tanakh.

John's negative statement could be interpreted in one of
two ways. First, since theos stands for Elohim in the LXX
John may mean that no one has seen the fullness or completeness of the
triune God. The Ruakh and Father are spirit (John 4:24) and
presumptively cannot be seen. John may also be alluding to Exodus 33:20,
in which God says to Moses, "You cannot see my face, for no one can see
me and live." The anthropomorphism of "face" alludes to the concept of
personhood. That is, God presents Himself to the world in three persons
or faces: Father, Son and Spirit. In the Tanakh the only physical
representation people experienced of God was the Angel of ADONAI. Now
the fullness of God is revealed in the face or person of Yeshua.

The benevolence of the Father and the power of the Holy
Spirit have been demonstrated from the beginning, and people have "seen"
the nature of God whether they may acknowledge it. Yet, no one has seen
His complete face. John's negative declaration might be explained by the
rest of the verse. No one had ever understood God or perceived God in
any kind of complete sense. Before they saw through a glass darkly, but
now in Yeshua they see God as He wants to be seen. John then uses three
titles for Yeshua, strung together like pearls.

the Only One: Grk. monogenēs. See verse 14 above.
Here monogenēs is in the nominative case, which makes it function
as a substantive instead of an adjective as it is used in verse 14. In
other words John is treating monogenēs as a title, just as he did
for logos, zōē, and phōs. LEB has "the one and
only," NET has "the only one" and NLT has "the unique one." God:
Grk. theos. Some Bible versions read huios, "son" (ASV,
CJB, HCSB, KJV, NIRV, NIV, NKJV); yet, MSS evidence is divided. The
evidence for "Son" is weighty, but the earliest MSS favor "God" (so ESV,
NASB). The UBS4 translation committee regarded the reading of
monogenēs-huios to be the result of scribal assimilation to
John 3:16, 18; and 1 John 4:9 (Metzger 169). Some versions have "the
only begotten God," but that is not John's point.

The One: Grk. ho. See verse 15 above. This is a
circumlocution for the sacred name YHVH. being: Grk. eimi, pres.
part. See verse 1 above. The CJB translates the phrase as "the only and unique
Son, who is identical with God." Stern explains his translation:

"I have
supplied the words, "who is identical with,” in order to reflect the
delicacy of the incarnation concept when the predicate "God" is applied
to "the only and unique Son”: throughout his Gospel Yochanan teaches
that the Father is God, and the Son is God; yet he distinguishes between
the Son and the Father, so that one cannot say that the Son is the
Father. I submit that the chief difficulty in our understanding this
lies neither in the Greek text nor in my translation of it, but in the
very nature of God himself."

The challenge of translation is that there is no
punctuation in the original MSS. Thus, by translating the Greek
literally and inserting a comma before and after "God" (as does the
Lexham English Bible) I have attempted to emphasize the distinction of
which Stern speaks. John engages in a kind of word play, speaking of
"the Only One" and "The One" as fully identified with God, just as he
does of "the Word" in verse 1 above, in order to affirm the basic truth
of the Shema that "Adonai is one" (Deut 6:4, 1Tim 2:5;
Jas 2:19).

in: Grk. eis, prep., lit. "into." See verse 11 above.
With the accusative case of a noun following, the prep. may be
translated "into, unto, to, for" (DM 103). the bosom:
Grk. kolpos is used for (1) anatomical front of the human chest;
chest, bosom, breast (Luke 16:22-23); (2) the fold of a garment, formed
as it falls from the chest over the girdle; fold, lap (Luke 6:38; cf. Ps
79:12); (3) a portion of a body of water on a shoreline; bay, gulf,
inlet (Acts 27:39). For the usage here various idiomatic interpretations
are offered. Morris suggests the term speaks of personal affection. BAG
interprets as the closest communion or a place of honor. Rienecker says
the term alludes to the intimate relationship of child and parent, or
friend and friend.

In the LXX kolpos occurs 32 times and translates
seven different Hebrew words, but principally cheq (SH-2436,
bosom), 25 times. Gesenius defines cheq as the bosom with the
arms, derived from the root verb chabaq (SH-2263) "to clasp, to
embrace." In the anatomical sense cheq is used of the bosom of a
woman (Gen 16:5) and the chest of a man (Ex 4:6-7); also the bosom of a
garment (Prov 16:33), the interior of a chariot (2Kgs 22 35) and the
bottom of an altar (Ezek 43:13). The term occurs metaphorically of
marital cherishing (Deut 13:6; 28:54, 56; 2Sam 12:8), motherly comfort
(Lam 2:12), a man cherishing a lamb (2Sam 12:3), and holistically of
the person (Isa 65:6; Jer 32:18). The term is applied once to God (Ps
74:11).

of the Father: Grk. patēr, a shorthand term for God with a
familial emphasis. See verse 14 above. In the Besekh the
capitalized "Father" is a circumlocution for the God of Israel, not a
Christian trinitarian personality as expressed in familiar creeds.
Christian theologies speak of the "Fatherhood of God" as a "Christian
truth," as if they had invented the concept. Some dilute the biblical
message to assert God as father to all mankind based on Paul's quotation
of the Greek philosopher Epimenides in his Athenian sermon, "we also are
His children" (Acts 17:28).

While God gave physical life to mankind, he is only Father
in a spiritual and covenantal sense in relation to Israel. God's
paternal relationship to Israel is affirmed many times in Scripture
(e.g., Ex 4:22; Deut 1:31; 8:5; 32:6; Isa 43:6; 63:16; 64:8; Jer 3:19;
31:9; Hos 1:10: Mal 1:6; 2:10; 2Cor 6:18). In the Sermon on the Mount Yeshua
speaks to his Jewish disciples a few times of "your heavenly Father"
(Matt 5:48; 6:14, 26, 32), but many more times simply as "your Father"
(e.g., Matt 5:45; Mark 7:11; Luke 6:36; John 20:17). Gentiles can claim
God as Father by virtue of being adopted into the family of Israel (cf.
Rom 8:15; 9:4; Gal 4:5; Eph 1:5) and then He becomes "our Father" (Rom
1:7; Gal 1:3; Eph 1:2; Php 1:2; Col 1:2).

Some versions translate the phrase in this verse, eis
ton kolpon to patros, as a reference to position, "at the Father's
side" or words to that effect (CEB, CJB, DHE, ESV, HCSB, MW, NCV, NIRV,
OJB, TEV). Other versions interpret the phrase in terms of affection and
relationship (CEV, GW, MSG, NET, NIV, NLT, NOG, NRSV, TLV). However, the
Greek phrase is probably not intended to be equivalent to "the right
hand" of God where Yeshua now is (Ps 110:1; Mark 16:19; Luke 22:69; Acts
2:33; 5:31; 7:55-56; Rom 8:34; Col 3:1; Heb 8:1; 10:12; 12:2; 1Pet 3:22). Also, restricting the meaning to affection between God the Father
and Yeshua (cf. John 3:35; 5:20) does not seem feasible either.

I think if the preposition is allowed to express
equivalency, then a different interpretation is very plausible. The
phrase "as the bosom of the Father" completes the descriptive word
picture of Yeshua in this verse and in no way detracts from John's
persistent emphasis on the echad of God. John is not picturing a
scene comparable to the paintings of the Madonna and child, i.e., God
holding Yeshua on His lap. Rather, John's point is that Yeshua is the
physical embodiment of the loving care of the Father for the world (John
3:16). Yeshua is the way the Father has chosen to embrace fallen
humanity and bring Himself into close fellowship with broken people. The
point seems to be further emphasized in John's narrative of the Last
Supper in which John leans back on Yeshua's breast (John 13:23, 25;
21:20), which may have been an acted out parable.

That One: Grk. ekeinos, masc. demonstrative pronoun. See verse 8 above. has
declared Him: Grk. exēgeomai, aor. mid.,
explain, interpret, tell, report, describe (BAG). In Greek literature
exēgeomai was often a technical term for the activity of priests and
soothsayers who impart information or reveal divine secrets; also used
with reference to divine beings themselves (BAG 275). In the LXX
exēgeomai mainly translates the Heb. verb saphar (SH-5608)
when this occurs in the Piel, in the sense of recount, tell, or declare,
such as telling a dream (Jdg 7:q13) or describing a miracle (2Kgs 8:5)
(DNTT 1:574). Danker translates ekeinosexēgeomai as "he
has made the description." BAG suggests translation of "he has made
known" or "brought news of" (the invisible God).

Most versions insert "Him" or "God" in this last phrase,
because the Greek text ends the verse with the verb without a corresponding
pronoun. However, a reference to the Father seems necessary to complete
the thought. One particular passage that may have relevance for John is
1 Chronicles 16 where David directs the Levites to give praise and
thanksgiving to Adonai and a lengthy psalm follows. Verse 24
says, "Declare [Heb. saphar] his glory among the nations, his
wonders among all peoples" (CJB). Yeshua certainly "declared" the Father
and John recounts seven particular wonders Yeshua performed.

Winter, A.D. 26-27

The Testimony of the Forerunner, 1:19-34

19 And
this is the witness of Yochanan, when the Judean authorities sent priests and
Levites from Jerusalem that they might ask him, "Who are you?”

And: Grk. kai, conj.this: Grk. hautē, fem. demonstrative pronoun. is:
Grk. eimi, pres. See verse 1 above. The present tense stresses the continuing
importance of Yochanan's ministry and testimony about Yeshua. the
witness: Grk. marturia. See verse 7 above. of
Yochanan: Grk. Iōannēs, the Immerser. See verse 6
above. whenthe Judean authorities:Grk.
Ioudaioi, pl. of Ioudaios, Jew, Jewish or Jewess (BAG),
although the term in biblical contexts does not mean the opposite of
"Christian" as in common use today. Derived from Ioudas, "Judah,"
the term originally meant one sprung from the tribe of Judah, or a
subject of the kingdom of Judah, but used more generally in the Besekh
of a descendant of Jacob (Mounce). Danker notes that the term may be
used as an adjective (Judean/Jewish) or a noun (Judean).

In the LXX Ioudaios
first occurs in the plural to translate Heb. Yehudim (pl. of Heb.
Yehudi, SH-3064), citizens of the Kingdom of Judah (2Kgs 16:6;
25:25; Jer 34:9). The southern kingdom also included the tribes of
Benjamin and Simeon (Josh 19:1; 1Kgs 12:21; 2Chr 15:9), so Mordecai of
the tribe of Benjamin is identified as a Ioudaios (Esth 2:5;
6:10). Among Gentiles the ethnic term did not distinguish between
members of the twelve tribes of Israel or sects of Judaism. All of the
people exiled from the land of Israel were called "Jews" (Esth 8:9, 11,
17; Ezra 4:12, 23; 5:1, 5; 6:7, 14; Dan 3:8, 12). After the exile Jewish
literature continued this inclusive meaning of Ioudaioi to
designate the covenant people as distinct from Gentiles (1Macc
2:23; 14:33; Letter of Aristeas 1:1
+34t; Josephus, Apion 1:1 +42t), often as
the object of persecution and warfare (Philo, Flaccus IV.21 +26t;
Josephus, Ant. X, 11:1; Wars VI,
1:2-8).

In the Besekh
Ioudaios occurs 195 times and has various particular uses. (For a
complete listing see my article The Apostolic Community.) In
the book of John Ioudaios occurs in the plural form 65 times,
half of which designate those in positions of power who enforced
legalistic traditions and opposed Yeshua, often chief priests or leading
Pharisee members of the Sanhedrin (John 1:19; 2:18; 5:10, 15, 16, 18;
6:41, 52; 7:1, 11, 13, 15, 35; 8:22, 48, 52, 57; 9:18, 22; 10:19, 24,
31, 33; 11:18; 13:33; 18:12, 14, 31, 36, 38; 19:7, 12, 14, 21, 31, 38;
20:19). Christian interpreters have historically focused on the negative
usage of Ioudaioi in John to fuel discrimination and
antisemitism, and failed to give due consideration of the many neutral
and positive references to Jews.

Stern contends that in
apostolic usage Ioudaioi ("Jews") has one of three meanings: (1)
members of the tribe of Judah; (2) followers of the Jewish religion; or
(3) people living in or originating from Judea, however politically
defined (158f). He also asserts that the negative use of Ioudaioi
in the apostolic narratives nearly always refers to Judeans, however
Judea may be geographically and politically defined. However, I suggest
that adversarial Ioudaioi identified outside of Judea were local
synagogue leaders (John 6:52 and frequently in Acts). In addition, I
would clarify Stern's second meaning to be "followers of orthodox
Judaism." Indeed the noun Ioudaismos, "Judaism," which Paul uses
to describe his Pharisaic religion (Gal 1:13-14), first appears in the
Maccabean writings for a way of life devoted to observance of Torah laws
(2Macc
2:21; 8:1; 14:38; 4Macc 4:26; 9:1).

The tenets of Orthodox
Judaism were governed by the Great Sanhedrin and the Pharisees, whose
traditions they followed (Matt 23:2-3; Mark 7:3; Acts 10:28). Even the
Sadducees grudgingly conducted Temple rituals in accordance with
Pharisee wishes because of their popularity with the people
(Ant. XVIII, 1:3-4).
The same devotion could not be said of other Israelite descendants who
were scattered throughout the world. The Essenes consistently avoided
the term Ioudaios as a self-designation and it is not to be found
in the Greek portions of the Qumran scrolls (Miller). Thus, in the
Besekh the term Ioudaioi is never used to identify Hellenistic
Jews, Samaritan Jews or Qumran Jews.

In this verse Stern's
Complete Jewish Bible translates Ioudaioi with "Judeans."
Two other Messianic versions agree with the CJB. The Hebrew Names
Version has "Judeans," the Orthodox Jewish Bible has "those
of Yehudah" and the Delitzsch Hebrew-English version has
"Yehudim." Daniel Gruber in his Messianic Writings offers a
different slant with "sectarian Jews." The Tree of Life Version
translates Ioudaioi in this verse with "Judean leaders," to
clarify the reference as members of the Sanhedrin. I concur with the TLV
that in this verse as many places in John's Gospel there is no question
that the negative use of Ioudaioi refers to those in authority
opposed to Yeshua. While most Christian versions have "Jews," a few
Christian versions emphasize the specific meaning of Ioudaioi
here with the translation of "Jewish leaders" (CEB, CEV, ERV, NET, NIV,
NLT, TLB). I chose "Judean authorities" as being more appropriate, since
"leader" can have an informal meaning.

sent: Grk. apostellō, aor., to send as an authorized representative.
See verse 6 above. First century Judaism institutionalized
the office of shaliach (Grk. apostolos), who acted as an
official messenger or a proxy for and with the full authority of the
sender, as the Mishnah says, "the agent is as the one who sends him" (Ber.
5:5). The shaliach's mission was "limited in scope and
duration by definite commission and terminating on its completion" (DNTT
1:128). Only someone with authority could do the sending, so the "Judean
authorities" were members of the Sanhedrin, and identified as Pharisees
in verse 24 below. However, sending priests and Levites would have
required the approval of the High Priest or Deputy High Priest.

priests: pl. of Grk. hiereus, personnel in charge of
sacrifice and offering at worship places, particularly the tabernacle
and Temple. In the LXX hiereus renders Heb. kohen. The
first occurrence is of Melchizedek (Gen 14:18). The priests were
originally organized into 24 divisions or
courses by David. The names of the courses appear in 1 Chronicles
23:6; 24:7–18. According to Josephus only four of the original courses
returned from captivity and those four were divided into the prescribed
24 courses. Josephus tallies the number in the courses at 20,000 (Against
Apion,
2:8). Jeremias
calculates the number of priests actually needed for the 24 courses at 7,200 based on Mishnah requirements
(203). Each of the twenty-four divisions
served in the temple for one week, Sabbath to Sabbath, twice a year, and
all priests were present for the three major pilgrim festivals (Jeremias
199).
The priests sent would no doubt be trusted representatives of the
Sadducean chief
priests.

and Levites: pl. of Grk. Leuitēs, members of the tribe of Levi
not descended from Aaron. They stood in a lower rank than the priests,
but were assigned to specific ministry duties in connection with the
Temple. Jeremias estimates the number of Levites at 10,000 (208). The
fact that John mentions Levites indicates a Jewish audience for his
Book. Pagan Gentiles would know about priests, but Levites would be an
unfamiliar term. Levites were assigned as singers and musicians, others
performed a variety of humbler duties, such as cleaning and festival
preparations, and Levites formed the police force of the Temple
under the
supervision of the Deputy High Priest (Jeremias 208-209). The Levites sent to interview Yochanan were probably
from the last group.

from:
Grk. ek, prep. lit. "out of." Jerusalem: Grk.
Hierosoluma, a rough transliteration of the Heb. Yerushalayim,
which means "possession" or "foundation of peace" (BDB 436). What a
precious name is Jerusalem! The city is situated some 2500 feet above
sea level and eighteen miles west of the northern end of the Dead Sea,
is renowned as the capital of all Israel, afterwards of the Kingdom of
Judah and the seat of central worship in the temple. The name of God's
holy city occurs 13 times in this Book. At the time of the Exodus the
city was inhabited by the Jebusites (Josh 15:8), but then captured by
the tribe of Judah (Jdg 1:8). The city was also
known as the City of David (2Sam 5:7).

By the end
of David's reign the city had expanded to cover seven mountains: Mount
Zion, Mount Ophel, Mount Moriah, Mount Bezetha, Mount Acra, Mount Gareb,
and Mount Goath (Neil 289). Jeremias estimated the resident population
of the city in the time of Yochanan the Immerser at about twenty-five to
thirty thousand (252). For the faithful Jew the city of Jerusalem
represented all that was dear in the covenant relationship with God.
David spoke of Jerusalem "as a city that is bound firmly together, to
which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for
Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord" (Ps 122:3-4 ESV).
Another psalmist expressed his affection thus, "If I forget you, O
Jerusalem, may my right hand forget her skill, may my tongue cling to
the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not exalt
Jerusalem above my chief joy" (Ps 137:5-6).

that: Grk. hina, conj.
they might ask: Grk. erōtaō, aor. subj., can mean (1)
to ask with the focus on querying for information; or (2) to ask in the
sense of making a request, frequently with the effort to soften the tone
for what might sound peremptory. The first meaning applies here. him:
Grk. autos, pers. pron.; him, i.e., Yochanan. Who: Grk.
tís, interrogative pronoun used in direct and indirect
questions to determine something definite and in rhetorical questions to
make arguments or prompt thought; here tis functions as a
substantive; who. are you: The planned question goes to the heart
of Yochanan's role. They knew that he was the son of Zechariah of the
priestly line of Aaron. But, since Yochanan was not following in his
father's footsteps, just what was he up to, considering his message?

20 And he
declared, and did not deny, and he declared, "I am not the Messiah.”

And:
Grk. kai, conj. See verse 1 above. he declared: Grk. homologeō, aor., to express oneself
opening and firmly about a matter; inform, declare, affirm, profess,
confess.
and did not: Grk. ou, adv., a particle of strong negation.
deny: Grk. arneomai, aor. mid., to give a negative
answer; say no, deny. and he declared: Grk. homologeō,
aor. The second mention of the verb may allude to the
requirement for facts to be established by the testimony of two or three
witnesses. The requirement, at least in this circumstance, could be
satisfied by one individual through repetition (cf. 2Cor 13:1-2).
Another interpretation is that the first mention of the verb indicates
the ready self-devotion of the testimony and the second the completeness
of it (Rienecker).

I: Grk. egō, pronoun of the first person. am: Grk. eimi. See verse 1 above. Yochanan's use of "I am"
(egō eimi) contrasts with Yeshua's
later repeated use of "I AM." notthe Messiah: Grk.
Christos, Jewish Messiah ("Christ" in Christian Bibles).
See verse 17 above. Given Yochanan's message and methods Judean
leadership might naturally wonder whether he would claim to be the
Messiah. Yochanan settled the matter quite firmly without any
qualification. Yochanan's declaration alludes to the prophecy of Daniel
9:25-26 that 483 years after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem Messiah
would come.

21 And
they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, "I am not."
"Are you the Prophet?" and he answered, "no."

And: Grk. kai, conj. See verse 1 above. they asked:
Grk. erōtaō, aor. See verse 19 above.
him: Grk. autos, pronoun; Yochanan. What: Grk. ti,
neuter of tis, nom., interrogative pronoun; what. See
verse 19. then: Grk. oun, conj. indicating that one takes
account of something in the narrative immediately preceding or of
implication contained in it; then. Asking "what then" aims to determine
Yochanan's purpose for doing what he's doing. Are you Elijah:
Grk. Ēlias, which represents the Heb. Eliyah ("My God is
Yah"), the ninth century B.C. prophet from Tishbe of Gilead in the
Northern Kingdom. The prophet's name first occurs in 1 Kings 17:1 as
Eliyahu and thereafter 62 times, but also as Eliyah (first in
2Kgs 1:3 and thereafter 4 times) (BDB 45). Known for his unorthodox
dress and lifestyle, Elijah prophesied during the reigns of Ahab and Ahaziah.

Elijah's achievements included performing seven miracles,
perhaps most notably the defeat of 850 pagan prophets on Mt. Carmel. He
also conducted a school of prophets (2Kgs 2:3-7) and trained Elisha to
be his successor (1Kgs 19:16-19). Elijah did not die, but was taken to
heaven in a whirlwind, not a chariot as commonly supposed (2Kgs 2:11).
The LXX transliterates the name uniformly as Ēlias, and thus this
form is followed in the Greek text of the Besekh. The English spelling
"Elijah" was introduced by John Wesley in his 1755 translation of the
New Testament. The KJV-1768 version retained "Elias," but "Elijah"
endured and was incorporated by succeeding English versions. According
to Malachi 4:5 Elijah would come before the great Day of the LORD.
Yeshua stated that Yochanan the Immerser was not Elijah reincarnated,
but did come in the spirit of Elijah for those willing to accept it
(Matt 11:10, 14; 17:10).

And: Grk. kai, conj.
he said: Grk. legō. See
verse 15 above. I am not: Again Yochanan made a firm denial. Are
you the Prophet: Grk. prophētēs, one who is gifted with the
ability for interpretation or revelation transcending normal insight or
awareness, i.e., a prophet. In ancient Greek culture the word-group
always had a religious meaning and referred to one who predicts or tells
beforehand (DNTT 3:76). In Scripture the term refers to one who spoke on
God's behalf, whether in foretelling or forth-telling. The record of the
Tanakh indicates considerable variance in the activity and ministry of
Hebrew prophets.

Some prophets left literary works that later became
Scripture. Others left no writings. Some gave advice to kings. Some
prophesied in worship settings. Some saw visions. Some proclaimed a
message in startling symbolic actions. Some were gentle, some were
fiery, some were confrontational, some worshipful, some full of joy,
others full of sadness. But, they all spoke for God under the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2Pet 1:21). The apostolic writings assert
the continuation and place of biblical prophecy, which would eventually
be replaced in Rabbinic Judaism by the authority of the Sages (B.B.
12a; cf. John 8:53).

The question of the Sanhedrin representatives alludes to
the prediction of Moses that some day God would send another leader like
him:

"ADONAI
will raise up for you a prophet like me from among yourselves, from your
own kinsmen. You are to pay attention to him … I will raise up for them
a prophet like you from among their kinsmen. I will put my words in his
mouth, and he will tell them everything I order him." (Deut 18:15, 18
CJB)

And: Grk. kai, conj. he answered: Grk. apokrinomai,
aor. pass., to answer or reply to someone, whether to a question,
request, exhortation, command, etc. (BAG). In the LXX apokrinomai
renders Heb. anah (SH-6030), to answer or respond to something
said in conversation; to respond to an occasion and speak in view of
circumstances; or to testify or respond as a witness in a legal
proceeding (BDB 772). John likely uses the verb in the Hebraic sense of
advancing the narrative. No: Grk. ou, negative particle of
denial. Yochanan confirmed that he was not the prophet that Moses
predicted, although in some respects Yochanan was like Moses.

Both men were descended from the tribe of Levi and both
were priests. Both proclaimed God's Word to Israel. Yochanan's
insistence on immersion in the Jordan could be an acted out parable of
the Red Sea crossing, which serves as a figure of immersion (1Cor 10:1-2). Yochanan quickly clarified that even though he was a prophet of
God, he was not "the" prophet of whom Moses spoke. However, verse 26
below points to Yeshua as The Prophet Moses anticipated. There are many
points of similarity between Moses and Yeshua. Both were of the nation
of Israel. At the time of both births Israel suffered under foreign
domination.

Both birth narratives included the danger of death from a
malevolent ruler. Both mothers put their new born baby in a special
cradle. Both men spent an early period in Egypt. Both went to the
wilderness before assuming their leadership roles. Both worked
miraculous wonders of healing, power over water, and feeding with bread.
Both conveyed God's instruction in Kingdom ethics to God's people. Both
were nearly stoned. Both appointed seventy to assist in ministry. Both
interceded for God's people. Both were transfigured by the glory of God.
Both mediated covenants between God and Israel. Yeshua was indeed like
Moses. And, many people came to regard Yeshua as a prophet (Matt 16:14;
21:11).

22 Then
they said to him, "Who are you that we may give an answer to those who
sent us? What are you saying about yourself?”

Then: Grk. oun, conj., used to indicate an inference or sequence; so,
then, hence. they said: Grk. legō, aor. See verse 15 above. to him: Grk. autos, pers. pron.;
Yochanan. Who: Grk. tis, interrogative pronoun used as a
substantive; who. See verse 19 above. are: Grk.
eimi. See verse 1 above.you thatwe may give:
Grk. didōmi, aor. subj., to give. See verse 12
above. an answer: Grk. apokrisis, an answer or reply.
to those who sent: Grk. pempō, aor. part., to dispatch
someone for a variety of purposes; send. us: The Sanhedrin
investigators, perhaps a little exasperated, persist in trying to get a
definitive answer. Yochanan had declared that he was not the Messiah, he
was not Elijah and he was not the Prophet of Moses' prophecy.

What: Grk. ti, neuter of tis, interrogative pronoun; what. See verse 19. are you saying: Grk. legō. about: Grk. peri, prep., about, concerning.
yourself: Grk. seautou, reflexive pron. of the second person. The issue
is not Yochanan's genealogy, but his ministry. The tribe of Levi was
essentially a caste system. There were officiating priests, the
Levitical assistants, and the Temple hierarchy. Priests did not did not
dress like Yochanan, subsist on a diet like Yochanan (Mark 1:6) and
certainly didn't teach in the wilderness like Yochanan. Priests served
at the Temple when they were scheduled to serve. Priests offered prayers
and sacrifices. Yochanan's father did all these things, but not
Yochanan. The investigators may have begun to wonder whether Yochanan
had joined the ranks of the Essenes, who condemned the Temple priestly
organization as corrupt, which of course they were.

23 He
said, "I am the voice of one crying in the desert, 'Make straight
the way of the LORD,' as Isaiah the prophet said.”

He said: Grk. phēmi, impf., convey one's thinking
through verbal communications, whether orally (frequently in dialogue)
or in writing; say. The imperfect tense heightens the dramatic moment,
perhaps meaning, "I've been saying all along, but you haven't been
listening." I am: Grk. egō, pronoun of the first
person. The verb eimi (to be) is absent, but "am" is inserted for
completion of thought. The purpose of Yochanan's life had been given
first to his father Zechariah (Luke 1:15-17) and it's reasonable to
assume that Zechariah passed on the angel's message. Yochanan then
quotes from Isaiah 40:3, which reads in the MT,

"The voice of him who cries in the wilderness, prepare the way of
the LORD, make straight a highway in the wilderness for our God." (BHIB)

However, Yochanan's quotation substitutes the
verb "make straight" in the last phrase for the verb "prepare" in the
middle phrase. The parallel quotations found in the Synoptic narratives
(Matt 3:3; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4) include the substance of the first and
middle phrases, but like this quote omit the last words "in the
wilderness for our God." In addition, this quotation differs from the
LXX in two words.

the voice: Grk. phōnē can mean (1) an auditory impression, sound, noise; (2) the faculty of producing an auditory impression, voice;
or (3) a system of communication, language. The second meaning applies here. of one crying: Grk. boaō, pres.
part., use one's voice at high volume; call, cry out, shout. in the
desert: Grk. erēmos, unpopulated region, desert or lonely
place. The location is given as "Bethany beyond the Jordan" in verse 28
below is not precise, but a reasonable walking distance from Jerusalem
could be assumed. Make straight: Grk. euthunō, aor.
imp., to straighten or make straight. The verb probably has the
idiomatic meaning of "head in that direction." the way: Grk.
hodos, with the focus on the concept of going the word typically has
the sense of a route for traveling, hence a way, a road or a highway. It
can also refer to the act of traveling; journey, way, trip. Then,
hodos is used fig. of conduct or a way of life. The LXX uses
hodos to translate Heb. derek (way, road, journey).

of the LORD: Grk. kurios may mean either (1) 'one in control
through possession,' and therefore owner or master; or (2) 'one esteemed
for authority or high status,' thus lord or master. In the LXX kurios
occurs over 9,000 times, principally to translate Heb. words for God. In
the overwhelming majority of instances (over 6,000 times), kurios
replaces the Heb. tetragrammaton Yod-Hey-Vav-Hey. In addition, kurios
stands in for the divine titles Adonai, Elohim, El
and Eloah. In contrast to its use for deity the LXX uses
kurios to render Heb. words used in reference to men in recognition
of higher rank or authority, primarily adon
(master, lord; 190 times; Gen 18:12), but also ba'al (owner,
lord, husband; 15 times; Jdg 19:22), and gebir (master; 2 times;
Gen 27:29).

Using kurios for YHVH ("LORD") is not translation as
it is for Adonai ('Lord'), but an interpretative substitution
that encompassed all that the Hebrew text implied by use of the divine
name. YHVH is the Creator and Lord of the whole universe, of men,
Lord of life and death. Above all He is the God of Israel and His
covenant people. By choosing kurios for YHVH the LXX also
emphasized the idea of legal authority. Because YHVH delivered
His people from Egypt and chose them as His possession, He is the
legitimate Lord of Israel. The LXX thus strengthened the tendency to
avoid the utterance of the name of God. The overwhelming use of
kurios for the sacred name was not an immediate development. The
oldest LXX MSS (fragments) have YHVH written in Hebrew characters
in the Greek text. The use of kurios for the sacred name is also
found in post-Tanakh Jewish literature, such as Wisdom of Solomon
(27 times), and frequently in Philo and Josephus (DNTT 2:511-512).

In the quoted Hebrew text the name is YHVH. The "way
of YHVH," which first occurs in Genesis 18:19, is the expectation of
Abraham and his seed doing righteousness and justice in contrast to the
wickedness of Sodom. The "way of YHVH" was later codified in the
commandments God gave to Israel as part of His covenant (Deut 8:6;
26:17; 30:16). Yochanan's basic message recorded in the Synoptic Narratives
called for repentance, reformation and readiness for the Messiah's
coming (Matt 3:1-12; Mark 1:2-8; Luke 3:3-18). Yochanan called for
nothing less than a national revival.

as: Grk. kathōs, conj. emphasizing similarity, conformity, proportion or
manner; as, just as. Isaiah: Grk. Ēsaias, a Graecized
form of Heb. Yesha'yahu ("YHVH is Salvation" or
"YHVH has saved"). Isaiah was the son of Amoz of the tribe of Judah and
perhaps related to the royal house. The prophet lived during the reigns
of the Judean kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, and probably the
first years of Manasseh. He was contemporary with the last five kings of
Israel: Menahem, Pekahiah, Pekah, and Hosea. Isaiah received his call to
ministry in a dramatic fashion c. 740 BC (Isa 6:1), and prophesied for
forty years during which he was an adviser (court prophet) to Ahaz and
Hezekiah. He married a prophetess and had two sons (Isa 7:3; 8:3).
Jewish tradition says that Isaiah was put to death by King Manasseh by
being sawn in half (cf. Heb 11:37), so Yebamoth
49b;
Ascension of Isaiah 1:9; 5:2.

the prophet: Grk. prophētēs. See verse 21 above.
Isaiah is the most Messianic of all the prophets. Isaiah wrote mostly
warnings in the first half of his book and mostly comfort and promise in
the second half. Various scholars have proposed that some unknown author
wrote the second half of book of Isaiah (40ľ66)
and a few scholars have actually suggested a Third Isaiah (56ľ66).
Against this viewpoint are these arguments: (1) for 25 centuries no one
doubted that Isaiah was the author of all 66 chapters; (2) there is no
evidence whatever that the two (or three) parts of the book ever existed
separately; and (3) all the quotations in the Besekh from parts of Isaiah
labeled as "Second" and "Third" Isaiah" attribute those passages to
Isaiah the prophet, such as Isaiah 40:3 quoted here.

We're supposed to believe that some of the greatest
literature in the Bible, not to mention the world, with its many and
detailed prophecies of the Messiah, was written by someone completely
anonymous and unremembered in Judaism. Modern scholars go to incredible
lengths to avoid believing in the truth of biblical material, just
because they can't accept that the Lord revealed the name of Cyrus (Isa
44:28; 45:1) almost two hundred years before he was born or that Isaiah
was given words of exhortation and comfort for a people he knew would go
into exile (Isa 39:6). If they can't believe the prophecy about Cyrus,
how can they believe the prophecies that named the Messiah (Isa 7:14;
9:6; 46:13; 51:5; 59:16)?

24 And
the ones having been sent were from the Pharisees.

And: Grk. kai, conj. See verse 1 above. the ones
having been sent: Grk. apostellō, perf. pass. part., to send
as an authorized representative. See verse 6 above. were:
Grk. eimi, impf. See verse 1 above.from: Grk. ek,
prep., lit. "out of." the Pharisees: pl. of Grk. Pharisaios
which transliterates the Heb. p'rushim, meaning "separatists.”
The title was born of the fact that they separated themselves from the
common people for religious
devotion. The Pharisees traced their roots to the
Hasidim ("pious ones") organized in the time of Ezra, but are known as
an organized group from the 2nd c. BC (Jeremias 247).
(For a lengthy treatment of the Pharisee party see Ron Moseley,
Yeshua: A Guide to the Real Yeshua and the Original Church; Lederer
Books, 1996.)

There were many Jewish groups in the first century.
Thus, it would not be accurate to speak of "Judaism" in relation to
biblical culture, but many "Judaisms." Josephus describes the Pharisees
as one of three prominent Jewish religious groups in the first century,
the others being Essenes and Sadducees (Ant. XIII,
5:9). The Essenes are not mentioned by name in Scripture. However,
there were other Jewish parties whose orientation was more political,
such as the Herodians, partisans of the Tetrarchy (Mark 3:6), and the
Zealots (Mark 3:18) who advocated violent overthrow of the Romans. Of
these groups only the Pharisees are mentioned in the book of John.

Josephus says the
Pharisees were present in the time of Jonathan, the successor of Judas
Maccabeus. The first mention of the group is in the books of Maccabees
where they are described as "a company of Hasideans, mighty warriors of
Israel, every one who offered himself willingly for the law" (1Macc
2:42; cf. 1Macc 7:13; 2Macc 14:6). Josephus
estimated that there were at least six thousand Pharisees in the Land (Ant.
XVII, 2:4). There were several Pharisaic communities in Jerusalem
(Jeremias 252), and a large number of priests, including those among the
higher ranks of priests, were Pharisees (Jeremias, fn31, 230; 256f).

In addition, Pharisee leaders, such as Hillel and Shammai,
had disciples throughout Israel and the Diaspora. There were many
aspects of Phariseeism with which Yeshua would have agreed. They
believed in resurrection and the importance of a holy life, and they
regarded Greek ideas as abominations. In contrast to the Sadducees the
Pharisees accepted the traditions of the Sages as having equal authority
as the written Torah, sometimes even greater than the written Torah.
There are many verses that depict certain Pharisees in a
bad light. Even the Jewish Sages spoke harshly against seven types of
bad Pharisees they called hypocrites (Avot
5:9; Sotah
22b).

Yeshua frequently uses the term "hypocrites" to refer to
such Pharisees (18 times in the Synoptic Narratives), which also
distinguishes them from the good Pharisees. For the hypocritical
Pharisees almsgiving, long prayers, twice-weekly fasting and tithing
were the most important components of righteous living (Matt 23:14, 23;
Luke 18:12), all of which were typically done in a manner to gain public
attention. These were the sort of adversaries with whom Yeshua
contended. Unfortunately, we know far more about the ones who harassed
Yeshua than we do about his supporters among the Pharisees, like
Nicodemus (John 7:50-51), and the unnamed Pharisees who warned Yeshua of
a plot by Herod to kill him (Luke 13:31). To impugn all
Pharisees of that time with the same negative judgment would be unfair.

While the Pharisees had many teachings with
which Yeshua agreed and he enjoined his disciples to respect their
authority, he also warned his disciples to avoid the hypocrisy found
among so many Pharisees (Matt 23:2-3; Luke 12:1). The Pharisees
wielded considerable power within Jewish society. Learning of the Torah in the synagogues
was supervised by Pharisees, and even though the Temple was under the
control of Sadducean priests, the Divine worship, prayers, sacrifices,
and various festival customs were performed according to the direction
of the Pharisees due to their popularity with the people (Ant.
XIII, 10:6; XVIII, 1:3-4).

The term "Pharisee" occurring 20 times in the book of John
and only in the plural, refers once to the religious party (John 3:1),
but generally seems to substitute for the term "elders" found in the
Synoptic Narratives, a faction of the Sanhedrin. Membership in the
Sanhedrin consisted of chief priests, elders and scribes (Matt 16:21;
26:57; 27:41). Yeshua described the scribes and Pharisees as having
"seated themselves in the chair of Moses" (Matt 23:2), probably an
allusion to the fact that members of the Sanhedrin sat on chairs. John
depicts the Pharisees acting in a judicial capacity (8:3, 13; 9:13;
12:42) and couples the Pharisees five times with the chief priests to
emphasize their association on the Sanhedrin (7:32, 45; 11:47, 57;
18:3).(See my web article
Jewish Jurisprudence.)

25 And
they asked him and said to him, "Why then are you immersing, if you are
not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?”

The Pharisee investigators continue their interrogation.
The next question they ask may have originated more from curiosity than
a desire to be confrontational. Why: Grk. tis,
interrogative pronoun. then: Grk. oun, conj. See verse 21 above. are you immersing: Grk. baptizō, pres.,
means to dip, soak, or immerse into a liquid. The verb
baptizō is derived from baptō (immerse or plunge) and
means that what is dipped takes on qualities of what it has been dipped
in—such as cloth in dye or leather in tanning solution. In the LXX
baptō translates the Heb. taval (to dip) 13 times. Baptizō
occurs only four times in the LXX: in Isaiah 21:4; 2 Kings 5:14 (re:
Naaman);
Sirach 34:25; and
Judith 12:7. While baptizō in the Isaiah passage speaks of
being overwhelmed by a vision, the other three passages report incidents
of self-immersion in water (DNTT 1:144).

Contrary to Christian interpretation and practice baptizō never means a rite
performed by sprinkling or pouring. DNTT offers this concurring analysis
of the biblical term.

"Despite
assertions to the contrary, it seems that baptizō, both in Jewish
and Christian contexts, normally meant "immerse," and that even when it
became a technical term for baptism, the thought of immersion remains.
The use of the term for cleansing vessels (as in Lev 6:28; Mark 7:4)
does not prove the contrary, since vessels were normally cleansed by
immersing them in water. The metaphorical uses of the term in the NT
appear to take this for granted…. The Pauline representation of baptism
as burial and resurrection with Christ is consonant with this view, even
if it does not demand it." (1:144)

Because of the immersing activity Yochanan is given the
title "the Immerser" ("the Baptist" in Christian Bibles), which occurs
15 times in the Synoptic Narratives, but never in the Book of John. The
active voice of the Greek verb "immersing" in this verse does not mean
that someone personally put his hands on the immersion candidates and
pushed them under the water as occurs in the Christian ritual. The
manner of baptism in Christianity has the practical effect of the clergy
controlling the "means of grace," since from the time of the church
fathers baptism has been viewed as necessary to salvation.

Three important elements define Jewish immersion. First,
Jewish immersion was (and is) self-immersion. No one touches the one
immersing and no one needs to put the penitent under for it to be valid.
Second, Jewish immersion is gender-specific. That is, men are not
present when women immerse and vice versa. Third, among Jews ablutions
of all kinds are not performed by people under bar/bat mitzvah
age when a boy or girl became fully accountable to the Torah. In
Yochanan's ministry there was no infant baptism. Only those who
repented, i.e. adults, were immersed. The Jewish method is clearly to be
preferred since it follows the biblical practice and preserves modesty
for women.

Delitzsch captures the true sense in his Hebrew translation
of this verse, using the Hiphil form of Heb. tabal, "caused to be
immersed." That is, the verb here depicts the superintending of the
immersion of all who came and expressed repentance and insured that each
person completely immersed himself. In all likelihood several people
would be immersing at the same time. In one fascinating piece of
evidence, there is an ancient drawing from a Roman catacomb which
depicts Yochanan and Yeshua at Yeshua's immersion. Yochanan is standing
on the bank of the Jordan River extending a hand to Yeshua assisting him
from the water (R. Steven Notley, John's Baptism of Repentance,
Jerusalem Perspective Online, 2004; see also Ron Moseley,
The Jewish Background of Christian Baptism).

if: Grk. ei, conj., a contingency marker used here to introduce a
question seeking explanation for a rejected premise. Normally the "if clause" precedes the question, but here it follows. you are not: Grk. ou, negative particle for
substantive denial. the Messiah: Grk. Christos, the Jewish
Messiah. See verse 17 above. nor Elijah: Grk.
Ēlias, See verse 21 above. nor the prophet: Grk.
prophētēs, an allusion to Deuteronomy 18:15. See
verse 21 above. The implication is that these three persons would engage
in immersing. The reason why is simple. Jews regularly engaged in ritual
immersion (Heb. tevilah) on a variety of occasions, including (1)
restoring the right to join in worship after a period of illness,
menstruation or contact with a dead body, and (2) preparing for Temple
ceremonies, including priests and Levites engaged in leading or
conducting rituals, as well as pilgrims who came to Jerusalem for the
three annual feasts.

A quick review of Leviticus shows how frequently the matter
is mentioned. One of the six major divisions of the Talmud, Tohoroth,
is devoted to the subject and named for one of its tractates (Tohoroth,
"Cleansings”). Proselytes were required to be immersed as well a
circumcised, and the Sages even regarded immersion to be more important
than circumcision (Yebamoth
22a;
46a-b).

26 Yochanan
answered them, saying, "I immerse with water, because among you
stands one you do not know.

Yochanan: Grk. Iōannēs, the Immerser. See verse 6
above. answered: Grk. apokrinomai, aor. pass. See verse 21 above. I: Grk. egō, pronoun of the first
person. immerse: Grk. baptizō, pres. See the previous verse. with: Grk. en, prep. The basic
meaning is "within" or "in," but the instrumental case of the noun
following would require "with" or "by means of." water: Grk.
hudōr, water as a physical element. This statement of fact appears
on the surface to be pointless. The visitors could see what Yochanan was
doing. They asked him "Why are you doing this?" not "What are you
doing?" Of course, the immersion would be in water; it wouldn't be in
any other kind of liquid.

because: There is no conjunction in the Greek text. Most versions
(except the ASV, AMP, CEB, GW, LEB, NET, NRSV, OJB, and TLV) insert the
conjunction "but" here as if Yochanan were making a transitional
contrast to shift attention away from the immersing. Instead, Yochanan
answers the question he was asked and gives the reason for the required
immersion. The statement that follows is a natural expression of his
role as the forerunner of the Messiah. Yochanan's declaration is likely
a shortened version of the same declaration that occurs in the Synoptic
Narratives, where he contrasts his water immersion with the Messiah's
Spirit immersion (Mark 1:8). among: Grk. mesos, middle,
center, in the midst of, among. you: pl. of Grk. su,
pronoun of the second person.

stands: Grk. stēkō, pres., stand, of a position that is
up or erect. The verb might suggest that Yeshua was nearby, but it could
also have a fig. meaning of one who had taken a stand from which he
would not budge or is steadfast in character (cf. 1Cor 16:13; Php 4:1). one you do not know: Grk.
oida, perf. (the perf. tense of
Grk. eidon, to see), to have seen or perceived, hence to know (NASBEC).
The verb is used for various kinds of knowledge: (1) to know someone or
about someone; (2) to be intimately acquainted with or stand in a close
relation to someone; (3) to know or understand how to do something, be
able; (4) understand, recognize, or come to know by experience; and (5)
to remember (BAG).

In the LXX oida occurs frequently to
render Heb.
yada (SH-3045; e.g., Num 11:16; Deut 1:39; Josh 2:4; 2Sam 19:6),
which has a wide range of meaning, but in most occasions refers to a
personal knowledge, whether of knowing persons or knowing by experience,
as well as knowing by learning (DNTT 2:395). To the Hebrew mind
"knowing" is not philosophical or theoretical, but based in reality.
Yochanan's statement points to the fact that Yeshua had not begun his
official ministry and these Sanhedrin members did not personally know
Yeshua or his family in Nazareth. The Jerusalem leadership will become
acquainted with Yeshua in the next chapter.

27 The One
coming after me, of whom I am not worthy to loosen his sandal strap.”

The One: Grk. ho, demonstrative pronoun. See
verse 15 above. coming: Grk. erchomai, pres. mid. part.
See verse 9 above. after: Grk. opisō, adv.
functioning as a prep., used spatially, 'behind,' or temporally,
'after.' me: Grk. egō, i.e., Yochanan. The opening clause
essentially repeats what Yochanan said in verse 15. of whom I am:
Grk. egōeimi. This is Yochanan's second use of the words
egōeimi. In verse 20 he stated "I am not the Messiah."
Here he says "I am notworthy: Grk. axios, having
worth or value, in the sense of being weighed on a scale. to loosen:
Grk. luō, aor. subj., to remove a hindrance; loose, release.
Yochanan speaks hypothetically, not of an anticipated event.

his sandal: Grk. hupodēma, anything bound under, a sandal
(Mounce). The singular noun does not imply that Yeshua wore only one
sandal, but the kind of shoe he wore. The shoe was considered the
humblest article of clothing and could be bought cheaply. Two types of
shoes existed: slippers of soft leather and the more popular sandals
with a hard leather sole. During the first century, Jewish practice
forbade the wearing of sandals with multilayered leather soles nailed
together, as this was the shoe worn by Roman soldiers. strap:
Grk. himas, thong or strap for a sandal. Thongs secured the
sandal across the insole and between the toes. Going barefoot was a sign
of poverty and reproach. The humility of Yochanan is a gentle correction
of the obsession among modern Christians for self-love and self-worth.

28 These
things happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where Yochanan was
immersing.

These things: pl. of Grk.
toũto,
neut. demonstrative pronoun
signifying something set forth in the narrative that precedes or
follows its use. happened: Grk. ginomai, aor. mid.,
to undergo a state of existence, change or development; take place,
happen, occur. in Bethany: Grk. Bēthania, which
transliterates Heb. Beit-Anyah ("house of the poor," Stern 61).
This is not the Bethany where Lazarus, Miriam and Martha lived. The
traditional site is the ford east of Jericho ("Bethany," ISBE) in a
perennial riverbed called the Wadi Al-Kharrar. Archaeological
excavations in the area have found the remains of more than 20 Christian
sites, including several churches, a prayer hall, baptismal pools and a
sophisticated water reticulation system. These date back to the Roman
and Byzantine periods. See the web articles here and
here on this subject.

TEXTUAL NOTE: Some MSS read
Bethabara (for Heb. Beit-Abara, "House of Passing Over"). The
name was suggested by the church father Origen (3rd cent.) who visited
the land and could find no town called "Bethany" east of the Jordan.
(See Origen's Commentary on John, Book VI, 24-26.). Origen's
determination was accepted by Chrysostom and Eusebius (4th cent.).
Modern scholars (as did Origen) point out the earliest MSS read
"Bethany." Even so, the UBS4 translation committee gave "Bethany" a "C"
ranking, which means that the committee had difficulty in deciding which
variant to place in the text (Metzger 171). The TR, the early English
versions (1526 to 1769) and some modern Bible versions (JUB, KJ21, LITV,
MW, NKJV, and YLT) read Bethabara. Origen made a fundamental research
error. He assumed that because he could find no trace of Bethany "beyond
the Jordan," then the earliest MSS were wrong.

across: Grk. peran, adv., on the other side, here
corresponding to the direction of east, probably on the same general
latitude as Jerusalem. the Jordan: Grk. Iordanēs (Heb.
Yarden, "the descender"). This important river runs through a deep
valley known as the Jordan Rift. It begins in the mountains of Syria,
flows into the Sea of Galilee, which is 212 meters below sea level and
after about 70 miles finally empties into the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is
the lowest point on the face of the earth, 400 meters below sea level.
Several tributaries (e.g. Arnon, Cherith, Jabbok, and Zered), flow into
the Jordan emptying almost as much water as the Jordan itself. The
deltas of these streams were fertile areas ideal for cultivation. Many
cities of antiquity were built close to the juncture of the tributaries
and the main river.

The Jordan River and Jordan Valley played an important role
in a number of memorable events in biblical history. In the Tanakh the
river is mentioned in the stories of the separation of Abram and Lot
(Gen 13:11), Jacob wrestling with the angel of ADONAI at the ford of the Jabbok (Gen 32:22-26), and Israel
crossing the river "on dry ground" under the leadership of Joshua (Josh
3:15-17). During the period of the judges and the early monarchy, the
Jordan was a strong line of defense, not to be easily forded. In the
later monarchy the Jordan River is featured in the miracles of Elijah (a
place for hiding, 1Kgs 17:3; and dividing it, 2Kgs 2:8) and Elisha
(dividing it, 2Kgs 2:14; and healing of Naaman, 2Kgs 5:10-14).

where: Grk. hopou, adv. of place; where. Yochanan: Grk.
Iōannēs, the Immerser. See verse 6 above. was: Grk. eimi,
impf. See verse 1 above.immersing: Grk. baptizō, pres.
part. See verse 25 above. Yochanan conducted his
ministry in different locations, and this Bethany may have been the
starting point before moving to "Aenon near Salim" (John 3:23).
Yochanan's choice of having people immerse in the Jordan River may seem
unusual. According to Jewish custom of the time ritual immersion had to
take place in a pool (Heb. mikveh) with water from a fresh water
source and deep enough to submerge oneself by squatting. There were many
pools (mikvaot) that surrounded the Temple area for ritual
purification. Excavations of the southern wall of the Temple area, begun
in 1968, have uncovered dozens of mikva'ot. (See pictures at
BibleWalks.com.)

Why not conduct the immersion ministry near the Temple
pools? The answer is twofold. First, Yochanan described the Temple
leadership as a "brood of vipers" (Matt 3:6). Yochanan did not want to
give any impression that he was acting on behalf of the corrupt
priesthood in charge of the Temple. Second, according to the Mishnah
there are six descending orders of ritual baths (Heb. mikvaoth)
and the sixth and highest order is that of "living water," a spring or
flowing river (Mikvaoth
1:1-8; Ron Moseley,
cited above). For Yochanan the Jordan
served as the most "kosher" mikveh with its continuous flow of
fresh water, the most practical from the standpoint of handling large
crowds and perhaps the most spiritual for its symbolic value.

29 On the
morrow, he saw Yeshua coming toward him, and declared, "Behold, the Lamb of
God, who takes away the sin of the world!

On the morrow: Grk. epaurion, adv., on the morrow, the next day.
The time reference occurs three times in this chapter (verses 35 and 43
below). The starting point is the day he dialoged with the Pharisees.
Tracking a timeline in this chapter is purposeful. he saw: Grk.
blepō may mean (1) possess the capacity to see;
(2) use one's eyes to take note of an object; (3) be looking in a
certain direction; or (4) to have inward or mental sight. The verb usage
here has elements of all four meanings, but especially the fourth.
Yeshua: Grk. Iēsous. See verse 17 above.
coming: Grk. erchomai, pres. mid. part., to come or arrive. See verse 9 above. toward: Grk. pros. him: Grk.
autos, pers. pron., i.e., Yochanan. and declared: Grk. legō.
See verse 15 above. The verb here
carries more intensity than just ordinary speech. Yochanan makes a bold
public announcement.

Behold: Grk. ide, aor. imp., of eidon, to see,
but functions as an attention-getter without regard to number of persons
addressed, in general (you) see! The interjection reflects Yochanan's
attainment of a new revelation. But, now Yochanan understands a more significant role for
the Messiah. the Lamb: Grk. amnos, lamb (SG-286). The term
occurs only four times in the Besekh, all in reference to Yeshua (verse
36 below, Acts 8:32; and 1Pet 1:19). In the LXX amnos renders
Heb kebes ("lamb," SH-3532; BDB 461) and is used chiefly in
passages concerning the sacrificial system (DNTT 2:410). Strong's
Concordance defines kebes as a lamb or sheep, and that it's from
an unused root word meaning to dominate, a ram (just old enough to
butt). Gesenius defines kebes as a lamb, the progeny of sheep,
from one to three years old (383). In contrast The various Hebrew
translations of this verse render amnos with Heb. seh
(sheep or lamb).

of God: Grk. theos, gen. case, the God of Israel. See verse 1 above. The phrase "Lamb of God" does not occur in the
Tanakh at all and only in this chapter of the Besekh, although Yeshua is
referred to as a lamb (Grk. arnion) 30 times in the book of
Revelation (5:6, 8, 12, 13; 6:1, 7, 9, 16; 7:9, 10, 14, 17; 8:1; 12:11;
13:8, 11; 14:1, 4, 10; 15:3; 17:14; 19:7, 9; 21:9, 14, 22, 23, 27; 22:1,
3). The Greek text here contains no explanatory words to define "Lamb of
God," so the intention must be deduced from the genitive case of
theou. The genitive qualifies the meaning of a preceding noun and is
typically translated with "of.” Rendered as a subjective genitive, it
would mean that Theou performs the action. Rendered as an
objective genitive, Theou receives the action.

One could say that the genitive case of Theos
accomplishes both meanings in this instance. God provides the
sacrificial Lamb and God receives the sacrifice of the Lamb. In the
Tanakh sacrifices are always brought by individuals or priests. However,
there is one example in which God provided the sacrifice. Abraham was
directed to sacrifice his son Isaac as a burnt offering in order to
demonstrate his absolute devotion to God (Gen 22:2). When father and son
arrive at the designated location Isaac asks, "Where is the lamb [Heb.
seh, lamb, sheep, SH-7716] for the burnt offering?" (Gen 22:7).
Abraham replied that God would Himself provide the lamb. The story goes
on to identify the animal provided by God as a ram (Gen 22:13; Heb.
ayil, SH-352, male sheep as leader of a flock).

who takes away: Grk. airō, pres. part., may mean (1)
to cause to move upward; raise up, lift; or (2) move by lifting or
taking from one position to another; take away, remove, carry off; lit.
"the one taking away." Hebrew translations of this verse (Delitzsch,
Salkinson, BSI-NT) render airō with Heb. nasa (SH-5375, lift,
carry, take), which translates a related word exairō in Exodus
28:38 for Aaron's responsibility to carry the iniquity of holy things.
Relevant to Yochanan's statement is that airō occurs twice in the
LXX of Isaiah 53:8 for the Suffering Servant:

"By
oppression and judgment He was taken away [Heb. laqach; LXX
airō]; and as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off
[Heb. gazar; LXX airō] out of the land of the living for
the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? (NASB). The
second use of airō is literally "his life was lifted away from
the earth" (ABP), a word picture of the crucifixion.

the sin: Grk. hamartia refers to a behavioral action, as
well as its result, every departure from the way of righteousness, both
human and divine. In Greek culture hamartia meant to miss the
mark, to lose, not share in something, be mistaken. A mistake is the
result of ignorance. Hamartia essentially meant to fail and could
mean anything from stupidity to law-breaking, anything that offends
against the right, that does not conform to the dominant ethic, to the
respect due to social order and to the community (DNTT 3:577). In the
LXX hamartia translates a range of Hebrew words for guilt and
sin, particularly Heb. chata (SH-2398; miss, go wrong, lapse,
sin; Gen 20:6; 39:9), chatta'ah (SH-2403; sin, sin offering, punishment for sin; Gen
18:20; 31:36; 50:17), and avon (SH-5771; iniquity, guilt,
punishment for iniquity; Gen 15:16).

In the Tanakh a sin is an offense against the
religious and moral law of God. In ancient Israel sin was tantamount to
rejecting God's covenant. Hamartia is not displaying the
imperfections that separate humanity from divinity, but violating the
clear instructions of God. Hamartia is the dominant word for sin
in the apostolic writings. The degree of intentionality is not a factor
in defining sinful behavior, only whether the express requirements or
prohibitions of Torah commandments have been violated. Religious people
may erect their own codes for determining prohibited behavior, but God's
judgment is based strictly on His commandments recorded in Scripture.

The Hebrew translations of this verse (BSI-NT, Delitzsch,
Salkinson) render hamartia with chatta'ah in a construct
form that indicates punishment. Thus, Yeshua will not become sinful on
the cross as many seem to think (based on mistranslation of 2Cor 5:21),
but he will bear the punishment for sin (cf.
1Cor 15:3; Heb 2:17; 7:27; 9:28; 1Pet 3:18). The concept of "taking away sin" or "bearing the
punishment for sin" alludes to the atonement sacrifices stipulated in
the Torah that took the punishment for sin: burnt offering, sin
offering, and guilt offering. Sacrificial animals included the bull,
heifer, cow, ram, goat, lamb, turtledove, and pigeon, but the lamb
played an especially important role in Israel's public worship.

(For a complete explanation of the sacrifices see Alfred
Edersheim, The Temple: Its Ministry and Services, Hendrickson
Pub., 1994;
Chap. 5 and
Chap. 6.) All the offerings were substitutionary in nature and
made it possible for God to dwell in the midst of His people.

of the world: Grk. kosmos. See verse 9 above. The
term in this verse would refer to sinful humanity. On this day Yochanan,
realized not only the Messiah's role, but the scope of his atoning work.
Yochanan's announcement might well have been disturbing, if not
confusing to his audience. After all the Torah sacrifices did not
benefit any Gentile who had not joined himself to Israel. The atonement
mission is completely in accord with the work of the Suffering Servant
in Isaiah 53. Isaiah 53 not only depicts atonement for "my people"
(verse 8), but goes on to say that the Servant will "justify the many"
(verse 11) and bear the punishment for the "sin of many" (verse 12).
From this general statement Yochanan inferred atonement would be
provided for the whole world. This is consistent with sayings that the
Servant of Adonai would bring righteousness to the nations (Isa 42:1;
51:4), light to the nations (Isa 42:6; 49:6) and would "sprinkle many
nations" (Isa 52:15), a metaphor of atonement.

Additional Note on Amnos

Some commentators associate Yochanan's
"lamb" in this verse with the Passover lamb killed on Nisan 14 for
the evening meal, citing Paul's words "our Pesakh [Grk.
pascha], Messiah, has been sacrificed in place of us" (1Cor
5:7 MW). Many
versions insert "lamb," even though Paul doesn't use the word for lamb
(e.g., CJB, ESV, MSG, NET, NIRV, NIV, NLT, NRSV, RSV and TLV). A number
of versions correctly omit "lamb" (ASV, DRA, HCSB, HNV, KJV, LEB,
NASB, NEB and NKJV). When Paul declared that Yeshua was the
"Passover," he clarified what he meant by saying in
2Corinthians 5:21 that Yeshua was a sin offering. Also, the
Greek word for "lamb" used
here in
John (amnos = Heb.
kebes) and in Exodus 12:5 the seh for the Passover
meal is to be taken from among the kebes.

Yochanan
emphasizes that Yeshua is the lamb of God who takes away sin. The lambs
slaughtered for the Passover meal on Nisan 14 did not accomplish atonement.
They were peace offerings. In Egypt the
blood of the Passover lambs on doorposts accomplished redemption from
death, but thereafter the lamb killed for the Passover Seder on Nisan 14 was a memorial
of the former deliverance without meritorious effect.
This detail is also evidence that Yeshua did not die on Nisan 14 as many
believe, because the only offering that day that accomplished atonement
was the morning and evening burnt offering. Instead
Yeshua died on Nisan 15 after the conclusion of the Passover Seder. On that day the priests sacrificed two bulls,
one ram and seven lambs as burnt offerings (which did have an atoning
effect) and one male goat as a sin offering in accordance with the
legislation in Numbers 28:17-22.

Of course, the
fact that a goat was offered as a sin offering on Nisan 15 does not
conflict with Yeshua being called the Lamb of God. He is also called the
Lion of Judah (Rev 5:5), and lions were not sacrificial animals.
Yochanan uses Lamb of God as a Messianic title and a figure of the
Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53:7 (cf. Acts 8:32; 1Pet 1:19). The
quotation of Isaiah 53:7 from the LXX in Acts 8:32 likens Yeshua to a
sheep and a lamb, "He was led as a sheep [Grk. probaton; forHeb. seh, sheep or lamb] to slaughter; and as a lamb [Grk.
amnos; for Heb. rachel, a ewe] before its shearer is silent,
so he opens not His mouth" (TLV). The point of the word picture in
Isaiah 53 is not that the Suffering Servant died like an animal for
ritual sacrifice, but rather that he suffered a violent death without
resistance, and yet in the process accomplished a substitutionary
atonement for the "many" (Isa 53:5-6, 8). Peter echoes this message, "you
were redeemed with precious blood like that of a lamb without defect or
spot, the blood of Messiah" (1Pet 1:19 TLV).

30 This is
he of whom I said, 'After me comes a man who has become above me,
because he was before me.'

Yochanan the Immerser repeats his words in verse 15 above to make it
clear that he was talking about Yeshua. See the comment there.

31 And I
did not know him, but in order that he might be revealed to
Israel, because of this I came immersing in water.”

And I: Grk. kagō,
formed from combining kai and egō and serves to link in parallel or contrasting
fashion a personal affirmation by way of addition to or confirmation of
a preceding statement; 'and I.' did not: Grk. ou,
adv., a negative particle that strongly negates the verb. know him:
Grk. oida, plperf. See verse 26 above. The pluperfect tense is used of action in the
past that is complete and the results of the action being noted.
Yochanan is not saying that Yeshua was a stranger to him, but that he
did not realize Yeshua's true identity and mission before this time.
but: Grk. alla, conj. for contrast. in order that:
Grk. hina, conj., expresses intention. he might be revealed:
Grk. phaneroō, aor. subj., cause to be in a state or
condition that makes observation possible; make known, show, disclose,
manifest, reveal. Here the verb has the sense of recognition of Yeshua's
identity as the Messiah.

to Israel: Grk. Israēl, a transliteration of the Heb.
Yisrael, which means "God prevails" (BDB 975). The name first
appears in Genesis 32:28 where the heavenly being with whom Jacob
struggled said, "From now on, you will no longer be called Ya'akov, but
Isra'el; because you have shown your strength to both God and men and
have prevailed" (CJB). The announcement, occurring before Jacob's
reconciliation with his brother Esau, was prophetic because not until
chapter 35 do we read that the name change was made permanent. Then God
spoke to Jacob,

"Your name
is Ya'akov, but you will be called Ya'akov no longer; your name will be
Isra'el." Thus he named him Isra'el." God further said to him, "I am El
Shaddai. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation, indeed a group of nations,
will come from you; kings will be descended from you. Moreover, the land
which I gave to Avraham and Yitz'chak I will give to you, and I will
give the land to your descendants after you." (Gen 35:9-12 CJB)

The name of Israel was then given to the land God
bequeathed to the descendants of Jacob (Gen 49:7) and used of the whole
people regarded as one person (Num 24:5). The reader should note that
Yochanan said "Israel" and not "Palestine." Contrary to the erroneous
labeling on Christian Bible maps and usage by Christian commentators
there was no Palestine in Bible times. There is no Palestine now and to
use the term in any biblical context can only be described as
antisemitic. (See my web article
The Land is Not Palestine.) Regardless of what names governments have
placed on the land, to God the land was and is "Israel" (cf. Matt
2:20-21; 10:23; Luke 4:27; 7:9). Yochanan also does not say "New
Israel," a title that the Church later claimed for itself when it
adopted the false doctrine of Supersessionism. (See my web article
Scripture vs. Supersessionism.)

Yochanan affirms what Yeshua will later say, "I was sent
only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt 15:24). because
of: Grk. dia, prep., lit. "through," but used here with the
accusative case of the pronoun following to expressing cause (DM 101).
this: Grk. toũto,
neut. demonstrative pronoun. I came: Grk. erchomai,
aor. See verse 9 above. immersing: Grk.
baptizō, pres. part. See verse 25 above. in
water: Grk. hudōr. See verse 26 above.

32 And
Yochanan testified, saying, "I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove
out of heaven, and He remained on him.

And:
Grk. kai, conj. See verse 1 above.
Yochanan: Grk. Iōannēs, the Immerser. See verse 6
above. testified: Grk. martureō, aor. See verse 7 above. The verb makes the announcement that follows the
equivalent of sworn testimony in a legal proceeding. saying: Grk.
legō, pres. part. See verse 15 above. I have
seen: Grk. theaomai, perf. See verse 14
above. the Spirit: Grk. pneuma (for Heb. ruach,
Resh-Vav-Chet), wind, breath or spirit; here with the definite article
refers to the Holy Spirit. Messianic Jewish Bible versions differ in
spelling, one with the phonetic Ruakh (MW) and others with the
literal Ruach (CJB, HNV, OJB, TLV). (The Chet letter is
pronounced like the "ch" in Bach.) The Ruach first appears in
Genesis 1:2 where He was moving over the Deep, assisting the Word in
creation.

descending: Grk. katabainō, pres. part., to proceed in a
direction that is down, lit. "coming down" (cf. Mark 1:10). as:
Grk. hōs, conj. that connects narrative components and functions
as a simile; like, as, similar to. a dove: Grk. peristera,
a pigeon or dove without distinguishing the particular species. In the
LXX peristera principally renders Heb. yonah (SH-3123,
dove or pigeon, Gen 8:8, 9, 12; Lev 1:14). This family of birds, known
in modern taxonomy as Columbidae, exhibit considerable variation in
size. Pigeons have strong wing muscles (wing muscles comprise 31–44% of
their body weight) and are among the strongest fliers of all birds. The
species has no gall bladder and consequently ancient science concluded
the birds have no bile, which explained their sweet disposition,
although in fact they do have gall. Their diet consists principally of
seeds and fruit.

The dove has an important place in Scripture. In Genesis 8,
Noah sent out a dove after the global deluge to determine how far the
floodwaters had receded. The dove with an olive branch in its mouth (Gen
8:11) has become a universal symbol of peace. In the sacrificial system
prescribed at Mt. Sinai turtledoves (Heb. tor) and young pigeons
(Heb. yonah) are acceptable burnt offerings and sin offerings for
those who cannot afford a more expensive animal (Lev 1:14; 5:7, 11).
Since these birds were used for sacrifice, they were sold in the temple
(Matt 21:12; Mark 11:15; John 2:14). Miriam, the mother of Yeshua,
sacrificed the requisite birds to restore herself to a clean status
after having given birth (Lev 12:1-8; Luke 2:22-24). The pigeon was also
offered in other rituals to restore a clean state (Lev 14:22; 15:14, 29;
Num 6:10).

Yochanan is not confusing the Spirit of God with a bird,
and the Synoptic Narratives also indicate the mention of the bird is
symbolic (Matt 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22). No actual bird landed on
Yeshua, although Luke's record does say the Spirit had a "bodily" form.
The specific point of the comparison is the manner of the Spirit's
descent. Doves and pigeons when landing flutter gently down, whereas
other birds swoop. In modern Christianity the fluttering dove is a
common symbol of the Holy Spirit.

out of heaven: Grk. ouranos, the area above the earth that
encompasses the sky, interstellar space and associated phenomena or the
transcendent dwelling-place of God. In the LXX ouranos translates
the Heb. hashamayim (lit. "the heavens”) (DNTT 2:191). The Hebrew
and Greek words for "heaven" are used in Scripture to refer to at least
three different places (Ps 148:1-4). In terms of direction from the
ground level of the earth the first heaven is the atmosphere or "face"
of hashamayim, across which birds fly (Gen 1:20; Rev 19:17). The
second heaven is interstellar space (Gen 1:1, 8; Matt 24:29), populated
with the sun, moon and stars on the fourth day of creation. Finally, the
third heaven is the location of the throne of God and the home of angels
(2Kgs 8:30; Matt 6:9; 2Cor 12:2). Here the term obviously has the
third meaning with the Holy Spirit coming from the throne of God.

and He remained: Grk. menō, aor., to be in a situation for
a length of time, to remain or stay. In the LXX menō translates
15 different Hebrew words, the most common being amad (SH-5975,
'stand, remain') and qum (SH-6966, stand, arise). The verb is
particularly used of God to emphasize His constancy (DNTT 3:224). The
Hebrew versions of the Besekh translate menō with Heb. nuach
(SH-5117, to rest, to settle down and remain). In the LXX menō
never translates nuach. The choice may have been influenced by
the use of nuach in reference to birds resting (2Sam 21:10) and
the passage that describes the spirit of Elijah resting on Elisha (2Kgs
2:15).

on him: Grk. autos, personal pronoun, i.e., Yeshua. The
ministry of Yeshua was marked by the empowerment and presence of the
Holy Spirit (Luke 4:14; Acts 10:38). Yochanan's description alludes to
the occasion of the immersion of Yeshua, which occurred almost two
months before the present narrative. Santala proposes that Yeshua was
immersed in February, A.D. 27 (110). The present narrative anticipates
Yeshua's first Passover in Jerusalem (John 2:13). For discussion on the
dating of Yeshua's immersion see my commentary
Mark 1:9 and the
note on Luke 3:23, which says that Yeshua was "about 30"
at his immersion.

33 And I
did not know him, but the One who sent me to immerse in water, he said
to me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him,
this is the one immersing in the Holy Spirit.’

And: Grk. kagō, conj. See verse 31
above.
Idid not know him: This phrase is a repeat from verse 31 above.
but The One: Grk. ho, demonstrative pronoun, a
circumlocution for God. See verse 15 above. who sent:
Grk. pempō, aor. part., to dispatch someone for a variety of
purposes; send. me to immerse: Grk. baptizō, pres.
inf., to immerse completely. See verse 25 above. The verb
confirms the purpose for which Yochanan was sent. The verb is a word
picture of Yochanan's divine mission to call the people of Israel to
spiritual cleansing. in water: Grk. hudōr. See
verse 26 above. In accordance with Jewish practice Yochanan
superintended and witnessed the immersion of others. He did not lay
hands on people as in Christian practice. he: Grk. ekeinos,
demonstrative pronoun, lit. "that one." See verse 8 above. said: Grk. legō,
aor. to me: Grk. egō, i.e., Yochanan the
Immerser.

On whomever you see: Grk. horaō, aor. subj., to see with the
eyes or perceive. See verse 18 above. the Spirit:
Grk. pneuma for Heb. Ruach. See the previous
verse. descending: Grk. katabainō, pres. part. See the previous verse. and remaining: Grk. menō,
pres. part. See the previous verse. The present
participle in this verse emphasizes the continuing role of the Holy
Spirit in the ministry of Yeshua. on him: i.e., Yeshua. this
is the one immersing: Grk. baptizō, pres. part. In the
Synoptic parallels (Matt 3:11; Mark 1:8 and Luke 3:16) the verb is
future tense. However, the present tense can anticipate a future event,
one which is regarded as so certain that in thought it may be
contemplated as already coming to pass (DM 185). in: Grk. en,
prep. the root meaning is 'within,' but here has the sense of agency;
in.

the Holy: Grk. hagios has two distinctive uses in Scripture: (1) as an
adj. of things dedicated to God (e.g., the temple, Jerusalem), of
persons consecrated to God (e.g., prophets), then of angels, of Messiah,
and of God (Lev 19:2); (2) as a pure substantive in the neut. form
hagion, used of the name of God (Luke 1:44), and then of what is set
apart for God to be exclusively His, e.g., sacred places as the temple
(Num 3:38; Matt 24:15), the holy land (2Macc 1:29; 2:18), Jerusalem
(Matt 4:5), sacrifices (Lev 22:14; Rom 12:1), and angels (Zech 14:5; 1Th
3:13) and human persons (Isa 4:3; Acts 9:13). In the LXX hagios
translates Heb. qadosh (SH-6918), which means separate, sacred,
holy. Qadosh is first used of God in Lev 11:44.

Spirit: Grk. pneuma for Heb. ruach. In Scripture
"holy" is only used as an adjective of "spirit" to refer to the Holy
Spirit, a name or face of God. "Holy Spirit" is not the title of a
separate being, because God is Spirit (pneuma ho theos, John
4:24), just as God is the Word (verse 1 above). The specific name "Holy
Spirit" occurs only three times in the Tanakh (Ps 51:11; Isa 63:10, 11)
given as Ruach Qodesh. The Holy Spirit is identified by three
other forms in the Tanakh (Ruach Elohim, Gen 1:2; Ruach YHVH,
Judg 3:10; and Ruach Adonai YHVH, Isa 61:1). The Greek text of
this verse does not have the definite article for either "Holy" or
"Spirit," corresponding to the lack of the definite article in the three
passages of Ruach Qodesh.

An interesting detail is that modern Hebrew translations of
"Holy Spirit" in the Besekh present Qodesh as HaQodesh,
with "Ha" serving as a definite article (BSI-NT, Delitzsch, Salkinson).
Messianic Jewish versions (CJB, HNV, MW, TLV, and OJB) use the phonetic
spelling of ha-Kodesh for "the Holy Spirit." This form mimics the
English translation, but the Hebrew text of the three Tanakh passages
with Ruach Qodesh do not have the definite article. (NOTE:
Messianic Jewish spelling often uses the English "K" for the Hebrew
letters Chet [ח], Kaf [כ]
and Qof [ק].
See the standard transliteration chart for Hebrew letters.)

All of the passages mentioning the Holy Spirit indicate
that He is divine, not less or other than God. The contrast of
water-immersion vs. Spirit-immersion hints at the fact that Yeshua did
not immerse anyone in water (John 4:2). Yeshua himself makes this
promise (Luke 24:49; John 15:26, 16:13–14; Acts 1:8) and its fulfillment
begins at Acts 2:1. Just as Yochanan superintended the immersion of
penitents so Yeshua superintends the receipt of the Holy Spirit in
power.

Additional Note: The narratives of Matthew and Luke add the dimension of
immersion in fire, which could symbolize

(1) the wondrous signs that would mark the coming of the
Holy Spirit in power at Shavuot, aka Pentecost (cf. Gen 15:17-18;
Ex 3:2; 19:18; Acts 1:8); or

(2) the purification of the of the disciples by the Holy
Spirit at Shavuot (Isa 5:24; 10:17; Mal 3:3; Acts 15:8-9); or

And I:
Grk. kagō, conj. See verse 31 above. I have seen: Grk. horaō, perf., to see with the eyes
or to perceive with the mind, both of which apply to this situation.
and have testified: Grk. martureō, perf. See verse 7 above. Yochanan reminds his audience of what he has
already told them. that: Grk. hoti, conj. this: Grk.
houtos, masc. demonstrative pronoun, 'this
one,' i.e., Yeshua who just came into sight. is: Grk. eimi. See verse 1 above. The present tense emphasizes the present
reality. theSon: Grk. huios, a male offspring or
descendant, whether by direct birth or by more remote ancestry. In the
LXX huios renders Heb. ben ("son," "son of"), which is
used in three distinctive ways: (1) to identify direct paternity, as the
son of his father (Gen 5). (2) to mean not the actual father but a more
distant ancestor (e.g., Gen 32:32), as Yeshua is referred to as the son
of David and Abraham (Matt 1:1); or (3) to mean in a broader sense of
having the characteristics of (e.g., Ps 89:22; Dan 3:25; cf. 2Th 2:3), and this too applies here.

of God: Grk. theos, the God of Israel. See
verse 1 above. The title "Son of God" occurs 43 times in the Besekh and
all but one refer to Yeshua. "Son of the Father" appears in
2John 1:3
and eight times Yeshua is referred to as the only Son of the Father.
Indeed, he is the "unique one of God" (verse 18 above). Yeshua
constantly referred to God as his Father. There is no equivocation in
Paul's writings that Yeshua is the image of the invisible God (2Cor 4:4;
Php 2:5-7; Col 2:9; Heb 1:2-3). Therefore, Christianity has
traditionally restricted the meaning of the title "Son of God" to deity,
the second person of the triune Godhead.

Unbelieving Jews typically object to the concept of God
having a divine son and can rightly claim that before the advent of
Christianity "Son of God' had a very human meaning. Adam was the first
son of God (Luke 3:38). Then God declared that the nation of Israel was
His son (Ex 4:22; Isa 63:16; 64:8; Jer 31:9; Hos 11:1; 18:13) and by
extension applied to all righteous Israelites (Ps 82:6; Sir. 4:10; Wsd.
2:13; Pss. Sol. 13:9; Jub. 1:24-25; Rom 9:4; 2Cor 6:18). The disciples
of Yeshua would later be described as "sons of God" (Matt 5:9, 45; Rom
8:14-15, 19, 23; 9:26; Gal 3:26; 4:6-7; Eph 1:5; Heb 12:7-8). Yet, there
are verses in the Tanakh that mention God having a unique Son in a very
personal sense:

·"I will
raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will
establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish
the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him and he will be a
son to Me." (2Sam 7:12-14 NASB)

·"But as
for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain." 7
"I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, `You
are My Son, Today I have begotten You. … 11 Worship the LORD
with reverence And rejoice with trembling. 12 Do homage to the
Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His
wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!"
(Ps 2:6-7, 11-12 NASB)

·"Who has
ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His
fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His garment? Who has established
all the ends of the earth? What is His name or His son's name?
Surely you know!" (Prov 30:4 NASB)

·"For a
child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the
government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of
Peace." (Isa 9:6 NASB)

However, for Jews during this time "son of God" was used as
a title for a human descendant of King David, the Messiah, who would
establish the promised Kingdom, as indicated in verses 17, 41 and 49 in
this chapter. "Son of God" was a title of the Davidic king
inasmuch as the king functioned as God's regent on earth and was vested
with God's authority (Leman 95). Robert Alter in his
commentary The Book of Psalms (W.W. Norton & Co., 2007) says that
it was commonplace in the ancient Near East to consider the king as
God's son (6). So when Yochanan introduces Yeshua with the old title for
the king of the House of David he means "Son of God" as the Messiah of
Israel, just as Nathanael (verse 49 below) and Martha (John 11:27)
intended when they called Yeshua "Son of God."

Presentation of the Messiah, 1:35-51

35 Again,
on the morrow, Yochanan stood with two of his disciples,

Again: Grk. palin, adv., with focus on a repetitive occurrence; once
more, again. on the morrow: Grk. epaurion, adv., on the
morrow, the next day. The time reference occurs three times in this
chapter (verses 35 and 43 below). The starting point is the day he
dialoged with the Pharisees. Tracking a timeline in this chapter is
purposeful. Yochanan: Grk. Iōannēs, the
Immerser. See verse
6 above. stood: Grk. histēmi, plperf., be in an
upright position, to stand, used of bodily posture. The pluperfect tense
expresses action in the past that is complete and the results of the
action in existence at some point in past time as indicated by the
context. The tense implies that Yochanan's "standing" has the nuance of
taking a stand of principle or holding his ground regardless of what
others would say.

with two: Grk. duo, adj., the numeral two as an arithmetical
quantity. of his disciples: pl. of Grk. mathētēs ('mah-thay-tays;'
from manthanō, to learn), one who learns through instruction from
a teacher. In the Besekh the noun occurs only in the apostolic
narratives. In the LXX mathētēs occurs only in two alternate
readings of Jeremiah 13:21 and 20:11 (BAG). The corresponding Hebrew
noun is talmid ('tal-meed,' SH-8527), scholar or pupil, derived
from the verb lamad (SH-3925), to teach or to learn. In the
Tanakh talmid occurs only in 1Chronicles 25:8 where it refers to
Levites being trained in musical duties. In that passage the LXX
translates talmid with the participial form of manthanō.

In the first century the talmid was a devoted pupil
of a Torah scholar or Rhabbi (See verse 38 below).
The focus of the talmid was not just on the written laws of the
Torah but the traditions of the fathers, referred to as the Oral Torah (Shabbath31a). In the history of the
Israelite people recorded in the Tanakh the Hebrew prophets had no
disciples. This is illustrated by the fact that the attendants of Moses
and the prophets, such as Elijah, Elisha and Jeremiah, were not called
students, but servants (Ex 24:12; Num 11:28; 1Kgs 19:19-21; 2Kgs 4:12;
Jer 32:12-13). In fact, the "sons of the prophets" functioned more like
a guild (2Kgs 6:1-3) (TDNT 4:428). What bound the guild together was the
power of the Holy Spirit (1Sam 10:10-12; 19:20-22).

However, with the development of Phariseeism in the
intertestamental period when the voice of God was silent, the authority
of biblical prophets diminished, and was replaced by the authority of
notable Jewish scholars, called Sages (Baba Bathra12a; cf. John 8:53). By the
first century Torah scholars considered themselves authorities in their
own right and the only task of a talmid was to acquire knowledge
from his teacher (Avot
2:8). In ancient times it was not a talmid who signed up for a
particular rabbi. When a rabbi could see a promising student as a
possible talmid, then the rabbi would himself issue the call
(Kasdan 103). In Rabbinic Judaism the rabbi of talmidim was not
itinerate. Rather he operated a school which talmidim attended.
The most noted Rabbi-teachers of the first century were Hillel and
Shammai. The Judean authorities noted that Yeshua and his disciples had
not been students at any of their academies (John 7:15; 9:29; Acts
4:13).

Becoming a talmid of a notable Torah scholar would
radically change a man's life. (The academies did not admit women.) A
talmid had to leave family and friends to be with his rabbi. In
Jewish culture studying Torah was as important as honoring one's
parents, and leaving home to study Torah with a rabbi was even more
important. In fact, the rabbi was to be honored above the disciple's own
father, since his father only brought him into the life of this world,
whereas his teacher, who taught him wisdom [i.e., Torah], has brought
him into the life of the world to come (Baba Metzia2:13). A particular hardship
of a married talmid was being away from his wife. Since a wife
had conjugal rights (Ex 21:10), a man needed the permission of his wife
to leave home for longer than thirty days to study with a Sage (Ketubot5:6).

The disciples of Yochanan, as well as those of Yeshua, had
to fulfill the normal expectations of a talmid. Following an
itinerant rabbi required four particular qualities. First, to be a
disciple required sacrifice. Traveling the country meant leaving behind
family, security and living under austere conditions. This was not a
life of luxury. Simon Peter alluded to his sacrifice when he spoke of
leaving everything to follow Yeshua (Matt 19:27). The rich young ruler
was not willing to pay this price to be a disciple (Matt 19:21-22).
Second, to be a disciple required commitment. Devotion to the rabbi came
before all other obligations (Luke 9:57-61; 14:26). Once the commitment
was made turning back would have been equivalent to rebellion against
God (Luke 9:62). The disciple left behind his ordinary life and embraced
an extraordinary life with his rabbi.

Third, to be a disciple required humility. A disciple came
to the rabbi with an inquiring mind, a desire to know. He did not have
answers, but he sought answers about God and spiritual things. He knew
the rabbi had the answers (John 6:68). This humility is illustrated by
the rabbinic saying "Let your home be a meeting-house for the sages, and
cover yourself in the dust of their feet, and drink in their words
thirstily" (Avot
1:4; translation by Bivin 12). Miriam, sister of Martha, demonstrated
this humility when she sat at the feet of Yeshua (Luke 10:39). Fourth,
to be a disciple required obedience (Matt 28:19). The rabbi's will
became the disciple's will. The rabbi directed, the disciple obeyed. The
only authority greater in the disciple's life would be God.

In this verse the disciples of Yochanan are designated
"his" (Grk. autos), implying that Yochanan was respected as
having the authority of a rabbi. Indeed, Yochanan is addressed as
rhabbi in John 3:26. Several passages speak of Yochanan's disciples
(Matt 9:14; 11:12; Luke 7:18-19; 11:1; John 3:25; 4:1; Acts 19:1-3).

36 and
looking at Yeshua walking, he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God!”

and: Grk.
kai, conj. See verse 1 above. looking at: Grk. emblepō, aor. part., to look at. The verb
indicates that Yochanan looked straight at Yeshua. Yeshua: Grk.
Iēsous. See verse 17 above. walking: Grk.
peripateō, pres. part., to engage in pedestrian activity; go
about; walk about, walk around, walk. In the LXX peripateō is
found in only 33 passages, of which more than half come from Wisdom
literature, and renders Heb. halak (to go, come or walk) (DNTT
3:943). Peripateō occurs in a few passages of God walking (Gen
3:8; Job 9:8; Ps 104:3), and in a some passages peripateō is used
figuratively of a way of life (2Kgs 20:3; Ps 12:8; Prov 6:22; 8:20;
Eccl 11:9). One might assume that Yeshua was simply strolling along,
minding his own business, but it's more likely he anticipated a divine
appointment.

However, the fact that the verb is a participle may suggest
that "walk" also has a figurative nuance of Yeshua's way of life or
character. He had been immersed and gone through the wilderness testing.
He was not the same man as when Yochanan last saw him. he says:
Grk. legō. See verse 15 above. The
present tense adds vividness to the declaration. Behold: Grk.
ide, aor. imp., of eidon, to see, but functions as an
attention-getter without regard to number of persons addressed; in
general (you) see! the Lamb: Grk. amnos, lamb. See verse 29 above. of God: Grk. theos, the God of
Israel. See verse 1 above. Yochanan the Immerser sees Yeshua
and informs two of his talmidim that Yeshua is the Lamb of God.
Yochanan had already made this pronouncement the day before (in verse
29) where it says Yeshua would take away sins of the world.

37 and the
two disciples heard him speaking, and they followed Yeshua.

and: Grk.
kai, conj. See verse 1 above. the two disciples: See verse 35. heard: Grk.
akouō, aor., may mean (1) to
hear, with the focus on willingness to listen or to heed the substance
of what is said; (2) hear with comprehension, understand; (3) receive
information aurally, hear, hear about; or (4) a legal term of hearing a
case. The first meaning applies here. In the LXX akouō consistently
stands for Heb. shama, which not only means to apprehend, but
also to accept and to act upon what has been apprehended (DNTT 2:173).
Thus, in Hebrew usage to hear implies a readiness, even an eagerness to
know and obey. The two disciples were paying attention to Yochanan
because they were devoted to his teaching.

him speaking: Grk. laleō, pres. part., is used in the
Besekh primarily to mean making an vocal utterance and to exercise the
faculty of speech; assert, proclaim, report, say, speak, talk about,
utter. The verb is perhaps a reminder that the good news of the
Messiah was first oral long before it was ever written down. The present
tense emphasizes the repeated nature of the message. and they
followed: Grk. akoloutheō, aor., may mean (1) to be
in motion in sequence behind someone; (2) to be in close association
with someone, especially as a disciple. Mounce adds to imitate in
behavior. The first meaning of the verb applies here. After what
Yochanan had said the two disciples were curious. This particular verb
is never used of Yeshua. Yeshua: Grk. Iēsous. See verse 17 above.

38 And
having turned Yeshua noticed them following, said to them, "What do you
seek?” They said to him, "Rabbi" (which is called, being interpreted,
Teacher), "where are you staying?”

And: Grk. de, conj., here as a connecting particle to continue the
narrative. havingturned: Grk. strephō, aor. pass.
part., to redirect a position; turn. Yeshua: Grk. Iēsous.
See verse 17 above. noticed: Grk. theaomai,
aor. mid. part. See verse 14 above. them following:
Grk. akoloutheō, pres. part. See the previous
verse. Yeshua knew the two disciples of Yochanan the Immerser were
trailing after him and he stopped and turned around to wait for them.
said: Grk. legō, pres. See verse 15
above. What: Grk. tis, interrogative pronoun; what. The
pronoun introduces the first of two questions.

do you seek: Grk. zēteō, pres., may mean (1) be on the
search for in order to find someone or something one has difficulty in
locating; seek, look for; (2) search for ways to satisfy an interest;
deliberate, discuss; (3) have an interest in; desire, seek; or (4) press
for; expect, demand. The phrase could be translated "you are seeking,
what?" The first meaning applies here, with a nuance of the third
meaning. Yeshua asks a very good question. Typical of questions asked by
God in Scripture (e.g., Gen 3:9, 13; 16:8), this question goes to the
reason the disciples were even with Yochanan. It's the sort of question
that probes the depths of our hearts. What were they seeking? Having
believed the message of Yochanan the Immerser they were expecting to see
the Messiah. Yet, Yeshua's question delves even deeper. What did they
really want from the Messiah? Ironically, the disciples don't answer the
question directly, at least in the way that makes sense to Westerners.

Andthey said: Grk. legō, aor. The verb is plural
implying both disciples addressed Yeshua, but probably only one replied
acting as a spokesman for the other. Rabbi: Grk. Rhabbi,
voc. case, which transliterates the Hebrew Rabbi ("rah-bee", lit.
"my lord, my master”), derived from Heb. rab (SH-7227, "great,
lord, master") (BAG). Rhabbi or the Hebrew Rabbi does not
occur in the Tanakh, LXX, or DSS. Rhabbi was a title of respect
used for Torah scholars by everyone, even those of the same or higher
rank (Stern 68). The title did not become associated with the
congregational leader of a local synagogue until Medieval times ("Rabbi,"
JVL).

In The Talmud Rabbi is used only of Sages from the
land of Israel. Babylonian Sages of later periods are identified in the
Talmud by Rab or Rabban ("Rabbi, Rabbinate,"
Encyclopedia Judaica, 2nd ed., Vol. 17, p. 11). The respect accorded
to a rabbi is illustrated by the Talmud saying, "Whosoever has been
present at the death of Rabbi is destined to enjoy the life of the world
to come" (Ket. 103b). Rhabbi is found
15 times in the Besekh, all in the apostolic narratives (eight of which
are in John). A derivative form rhabbouni occurs twice (Mark
10:51; John 20:16). On most occasions the title was used to address
Yeshua by a present or future disciple.

Ordinarily the title "Rabbi" was used of someone that had
been ordained by a board of three elders established by the Sanhedrin
through a ceremony of laying on of hands, called in Hebrew semikhah
(DNTT 3:115). The practice hearkens back to the occasion when Moses
"laid hands" on Joshua to appoint him as his successor to lead Israel
after his death (Num 27:18, 23). An ordained rabbi was granted the right
to judge and to decide points of halakhah or application of
Torah. Notable rabbis had pupils or disciples who studied their expositions and
were duty bound to obey their instructions. Yeshua, of course, never
sought such formal recognition, because his authority came from God
(Mark 1:22).

He would later criticize Torah scholars who loved to be
called "Rabbi" and receive public recognition (Matt 23:7). Yeshua then
commanded his apostles to refrain from using the titles "Rabbi,"
"Father" and "Teacher [Grk. kathēgētēs]" (Matt 23:8-9). And, in
compliance with this instruction these titles are never used in the
Besekh of the apostles. Perhaps Yeshua anticipated this saying in the
Talmud concerning the elevation of Rabbis, "Jehoshaphat, King of Judah.
who, on seeing a scholar, used to rise from his throne, embrace him and
kiss him, and call him 'My master, my master; my teacher, my teacher'" (Ket.
103b). The parallel in Makkot 24a adds "My
father, my father" to the salutation. (See the web article by Dan
Gruber, Rabbinic Judaism, at ElijahNet
for more on this subject).

The fact the title "Rabbi" is used in the same context with
the two Messianic titles that follow may seem strange, but one of the
expectations of the Messiah is that he would explain the Torah, as the
woman at the well said, "I know that Messiah is coming … When he comes
he will explain everything to us" (John 4:25 TLV). Perhaps the two
disciples had the same expectation. However, at this point of Yeshua's
story the two disciples only address Yeshua as "Rabbi" in the sense of a
respectful title. He had yet to truly become their teacher and master.

which is called: Grk. legō, pres. pass. The phrase functions as
a substantive and thus means "which is called" or "named." being
interpreted: Grk. methermēneuō, pres. pass. part., to
translate, or render a term from one language into another. The verb
emphasizes that the Book was written for a primarily Jewish audience,
so John translates a familiar Jewish word for Gentiles who may not have
understood it. The verb occurs not at all in the LXX, but does occur in
the prologue (30) to
Sirach and in Josephus (Ant. VIII,
5:3) (DNTT 1:580). The M-Text and TR (upon which the KJV is based)
have Grk. hermēneuō (to explain, interpret, translate), but the
earliest and best MSS have methermēneuō, which strictly means to
translate. See verse 42 below.

Teacher: Grk. didaskalos, teacher or instructor who
regularly engaged in the imparting of knowledge or skills, a vocation of
special status among the Israelites. The Greek term occurs 59 times in
the Besekh. In the LXX didaskalos
occurs only in 2 Maccabees 1:10 to denote
Aristobulus, the head of the Egyptian Jewish community, who, having
dedicated an exposition of the Pentateuch to King Ptolemy Philometor, is
called a teacher clearly for this reason. However, the participle form
of the verb didaskō, "one teaching," is used to render the
participle form of three Hebrew verbs: (1) maskil, part. of
sakal, give insight, teach (SH-7919; Job 22:2); (2) hamlammed,
part. of lamad, instruct, teach (SH-3925; Ps 119:99); and (3)
moreh, part. of yarah, to throw or shoot and thus "one who
throws out," "points out," or "instructs," (SH-3384; Prov 5:13; Isa
9:15) (DNTT 3:766).

In Greek education teaching was concerned with imparting
knowledge or technical skills. Philo, the Hellenistic Jewish philosopher
(25 BC - AD 50), employs this meaning when he uses the term "teacher" to
refer to both Moses (On
Giants 54) and God (Who
is the Heir of Divine Things? 102). In both cases
Philo regards a teacher as one who imparts knowledge, not as one who
lays ethical demands before others. Hebrew education in the Tanakh,
however, is more concerned with obedience than imparting information.
The situation is different in the Qumran texts where moreh occurs
more frequently, often with a qualifying phrase like "the righteous one," probably in reference to the founder of the sect
(DNTT 3:767).

Elsewhere didaskalosis used interchangeably with rhabbi (Matt 23:8; John 3:2). Since the
disciples and Yeshua conversed in Hebrew, then the actual address would
have been Rabbi. When the general public and adversaries
addressed Yeshua as didaskalos (as given in the Greek text, e.g.,
Matt 8:19; 12:38; 19:16; 22:16; 22:24, 36; Mark 4:38; 9:17; 10:35; John
8:4), they most likely said moreh or possibly rabbi.

where: Grk. pou, interrogative adv., here of place; where (?), at
which place (?). are you staying: Grk. menō, here
of a dwelling. See verse 32 above. The words "are you" are
inserted for clarity. Typical of rabbinic dialog the two disciples
answer Yeshua's question with one of their own. In other words, what
they were seeking was the house where Yeshua was staying. Yeshua could
have asked them "Is that all you want?" The Torah says, "seek the LORD
your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your
heart and all your soul" (Deut 4:29). Yeshua affirms this principle in
his Sermon on the Mount, "seek and you shall find" (Matt 7:7).

39 He said
to them, "Come, and you will see.” Therefore, they went and saw where he
was dwelling, and they stayed with him that day. It was about the tenth
hour.

The verse features the redundancy of two verbs that
illustrate an Hebraic way of writing. Come: Grk. erchomai,
pres. mid. imp. See verse 9 above. The imperative mood is
not strictly a command, but an imperative of permission. That is, Yeshua
complies with the expressed desire of the disciples, thus involving
consent in his directive. and you will see: Grk. horaō,
fut. mid. See verse 18 above. In other words, "your
curiosity will be satisfied." Thereforethey went: Grk.
erchomai, aor. The disciples complied, the first of many
acts of obedience to the words of Yeshua. and saw: Grk. horaō,
aor. wherehe was dwelling: Grk. menō. See verse 32 above. The
house was likely in the Bethany mentioned in verse 28 above. Yeshua will later say
that he had no place to lay his head (Matt 8:20), meaning he had no
fixed abode. Yeshua relied on the hospitality of friends to provide him
lodging at night.

and they stayed: Grk. menō, aor. with him that:
Grk. ekeinos, demonstrative pronoun. See verse 8 above.
day: Grk. hēmera may refer to (1) the daylight hours from
sunrise to sunset, (2) the civil or legal day that included the night,
(3) an appointed day for a special purpose or (4) a longer or imprecise
period, such as a timeframe for accomplishing something or a time of
life or activity (BAG). The first meaning applies here. It was:
Grk. eimi, impf. See verse 1 above.aboutthe tenth:
Grk. dekatos, the numeral ten. hour: Grk. hōra, a
period of time in the day; hour, time. John has a habit of noticing the
time of day, which implies an eyewitness (see John 4:6, 52; 18:28; 19:14;
20:19).

Some Christian interpreters, assuming that John is writing
to a primarily Gentile audience, say that John is giving Roman time,
which began the day at midnight, making the tenth hour about 10:00 am
(HCSB, NASB translation note). However, according to Morris the Romans
only used the midnight time as the starting point for legal purposes,
but used sunrise as the starting point for all other time references
(158). John's primary audience was Jewish and Jewish reckoning of time
was from sunset to sunset, divided into 12-hour increments of night and
day (cf. John 11:9).

However, time was also measured in terms of the Temple
sacrifices, which began with the first hour at sunrise, about 6:00 am.
These daylight hours were also applied to Judicial hearings. The Talmud
contains a passage concerning the evidence of two witnesses and places
the fifth hour when the sun is in the east and the seventh hour when the
sun is in the west (Sanhedrin
5:1). By this reckoning the tenth hour would then be about 4:00 pm
(AMP, ESV, OJB, TLV translation note), and a many versions translate the
hour as four o'clock (CEB, CEV, CJB, ERV, EXB, NCV, NET, NIRV, NIV, NLT,
NLV, NRSV, TEV, TLB).

Edersheim argues for the 10th hour being 10 am because the
Jewish day ended with sunset, and it's not likely John would have
reported that the two disciples stayed with him "that day" (240). On the
other hand, Morris contends that considering the Jewish practice of
counting daylight hours and the flexible meaning of the Greek word "day"
the verb "stayed" should be taken to mean "remained overnight." Most
Bible translators agree with this view.

40 One of
the two hearing Yochanan, and following him, was Andrew, the brother of
Simon Peter.

We learn in this verse the identity of one of the disciples
of Yochanan the Immerser who went with Yeshua. One: Grk. heis,
the numeral one. of the two: Grk. duo, the numeral two
used as an adjective. The other disciple is left unnamed and was
probably the author of this Book, John the son of Zebedee. hearing:
Grk. akouō, aor. part. See verse 37 above.
Yochanan: Grk. Iōannēs, the Immerser. See verse 6
above. and following: Grk. akoloutheō, aor. part. See verse 37 above. In Hebraic thought to hear is to follow or
obey. him: Yochanan. was: Grk. eimi, impf. See verse 1 above.

Andrew: Grk. Andreas, derived from andros the
genitive case of anēr "of a man." Andrew is the brother of Simon
Peter and apparently the first disciple to join Yeshua (John 1:40).
Andrew, being a Greek name, may have been only a nickname or a
translation of his real Hebrew name, which is not known. There is a
Hebrew name Anęr ("boy") found twice in the Tanakh, once of an
Amorite chieftain who aided Abraham in the pursuit of the four invading
kings (Gen 14:13, 24) and once of a Levitical city west of the Jordan in
Manasseh allotted to the Kohathite Levites (1Chr 6:70). "Andrew"
could also have been chosen by his father because he liked the name or
wished to honor someone important to the family.

the brother: Grk. adelphos, lit. "of the same womb," and in
secular Greek meant "brother." In the apostolic narratives adelphos
primarily refers to blood siblings or fellow Israelites. It is an
interesting detail that Andrew is almost always identified as the brother of Simon, but Simon is never called the brother
of Andrew. Such order might imply that Simon was older or simply a nod
to the preeminence of Simon as one of the chief apostles.

ofSimon: Grk. Simōn, which almost transliterates the
Hebrew name Shimôn ("Shee-mown"), meaning "he has heard." There
are nine men in the Besekh with the name "Simōn," but this name
does not occur in the LXX at all. In the Tanakh the Heb. name Shimôn
appears for the first time as the second son of Jacob and Leah (Gen
29:33) and then the tribe descended from him (Num 1:22-23). His name
is translated in the LXX as Sumeōn and in English "Simeon." The
apostle may well have been named in honor of the patriarch. It is
noteworthy that even though Yeshua gave Simon another name he only used
"Simon" in directly addressing him (Luke 7:40; 22:31; Mark 14:37; and
John 21:15-17).

Peter:
Grk. Petros, personal name meaning 'a stone' (BAG, Mounce),
although Thayer says the name signifies a stone, a rock, a ledge or a
cliff, and Danker defines the name as "rockman." The name does not occur
at all in the LXX or earlier Jewish literature, which suggests that
Simon is the first man to bear the name. Josephus does mention a man
named Peter about thirty years later (Ant. XVIII, 6:3). Peter was
married (Mark 1:30; 1Cor 9:5) and had a home in Capernaum (Mark 1:21,
29). Together with Andrew
they engaged in a business of fishing from the Sea of Galilee (Luke
5:2-3; John 21:3), including working in partnership with the sons of
Zebedee (Luke 5:10). For a summary of Simon's life and ministry
see my article Simon Peter: Fisherman-Apostle.

The combination name "Simon Peter" occurs twenty times in
the Besekh, all but three (Matt 16:16; Luke 5:8; 1Pet 1:1) in the book
of John. The frequent use by John is noteworthy and must be significant
even though he never explains his purpose. The simple reason may be that
Simon was a common name, so adding "Peter" became a good way to
distinguish him from the others. Yeshua's choice of naming Simon "Peter"
indicated confidence in his ability to be a prominent leader and pillar
of the Body of Messiah." Peter" would be the name by which the apostle
would be known in the Diaspora. Using the combination name conveyed
John's respect for his fellow apostle who would become a powerful
spokesman for Yeshua.

41 He
first found his brother, Simon, and said to him, "We have found the
Messiah!” (which is, being translated, Messiah).

He first: Grk. prōtos, adj., having to do with beforeness;
first. The adjective emphasizes the priority that Andrew gave to sharing
the good news of the Messiah. found: Grk. heuriskō, to find, discover or come upon after seeking. The verb
contains the idea of finding something or someone that has eluded one in
some way or has not been in one's purview. In the LXX heuriskō
chiefly serves to translate the Heb. matsa (SH-4672; to attain or
find, BDB 592), with the same uses. (DNTT 3:528). The verb implies that
Andrew and Simon were not initially together and that Andrew went
looking for him. his brother: Grk. adelphos. See the previous verse. Simon: Grk. Simōn,
See
the previous verse.

We have found: Grk. heuriskō, perf. The verb may
figuratively refer to intellectual discovery based upon revelation (from
Yochanan the Immerser), then reflection and observation. The verb
implies that Andrew, along with other disciples of Yochanan, had been
waiting or searching for the Messiah who would fulfill the Torah and
prophecies in the Scriptures (Reinhartz 160). the Messiah: Grk.
Messias, a transliteration of the Heb. Mashiach, Anointed
One or Messiah (Stern). BAG says it transliterates the Aram. M'shicha,
but Thayer says the Greek title stands for both the Hebrew and Aramaic
forms. This Greek form of the title occurs in only two verses; also John
4:25, where it is spoken by the Samaritan woman along with a translation
note.

Messias does not occur in the LXX at all (neither the canonical
books nor the Apocrypha) or other early Jewish literature (DNTT 2:334).
Nevertheless, its appearance in John's narrative indicates that
Messias was in use very early. However, the Jewish Greek of the
apostolic writings relies on the LXX for vocabulary and thus Christos
is used uniformly instead of Messias. The fact that the
Messias is spoken by both (and only) Peter and the Samaritan woman
is striking and may imply its use in Galilee and Samaria, but not in
Judea. which is,being translated: Grk.
methermēneuō, pres. pass. part. See verse 38 above.
John's device of translating Hebrew words for the benefit of Gentiles
demonstrates again that he was writing for a primarily Jewish audience.
Messiah: Grk. Christos, Jewish Messiah. See
verse 17 above.

42 He
brought him to Yeshua. Looking at him Yeshua said, "You are Simon the
son of John. You will be called Cephas (which is translated, Peter).

He brought: Grk. agō, aor., to cause movement by
taking the lead; lead, bring, carry, take. him to Yeshua: Grk.
Iēsous. See verse 17 above. Looking: Grk.
emblepō, aor. part. See verse 36 above. at him
Yeshua said, You are Simon: Grk. Simōn. See verse
40 above. the son: Grk. huios, son, here of paternity. See verse 34 above. of John: Grk. Iōannēs a rough
transliteration of Heb. Yochanan. See verse 6 above.
Little considered by commentators is Simon's family ancestry. Yeshua later addressed him as "Simon Barjona" (Heb. bar
Yona) (Matt 16:17), which means that Simon's family descended from
the prophet Jonah.

The name of ancestry for Simon, Barjona (son of
Jonah), is never given to Andrew. The detail might imply different
fathers, if Andrew was older and his mother a widow whom Simon's father
married or his father was a polygamist. Perhaps more likely is that
Andrew had the same ancestry, but the surname only became significant
for Simon in the context of his acting like his ancestor in rebelling
against God's purposes (Matt 16:17, 21-23). However, in this verse John makes note of Simon's immediate biological father.

You shall be called: Grk. kaleō, fut. pass., to identify by name
or give a term to; call. The future tense implies that the recognition
of the new name would not be immediate. Cephas: Grk. Kēphas
("rock"), a transliteration of the Hebrew name Kęfa ("kay-fah,"
"rock"), although commentators typically say the name is Aramaic. Hamp
says that Kępha is probably of Aramaic origin, but the root
kęph ("rock," SH-3710) is found twice in the Hebrew Bible (Job 30:6;
Jer 4:29) (19f). BDB says kępha is a loanword in Hebrew (495),
which for all practical purposes makes it Hebrew. (Many English words
have their origin in other languages, but they are still part of English
vocabulary.) Kępha is transliterated as Kēphas in Greek
and inaccurately spelled "Cephas" in English Christian versions. The
name in Greek ended with the letter sigma in order to make it
masculine.

The Synoptic Narratives also mention Yeshua giving Simon
the new name (Matt 4:18; Mark 3:16; Luke 6:14). The name "Peter" carried
great personal meaning for the apostle, in part because it came from
Yeshua and not his parents. Moreover, the new name prophesied a change
of character and purpose as exemplified in the name changes of Israel's
greatest leaders: Abram to Abraham (Gen 17:5), Sarai to Sarah (Gen
17:15), and Jacob to Israel (Gen 32:28). Yeshua explained the purpose of
the new name in response to the revelation that Peter received from the
Father, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God" (Matt 16:16).
Yeshua declared,

"Blessed
you are, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood revealed it
not to you, but my Father, the One in heaven! 18 Moreover I also say to
you that 'you are Peter,' and upon this rock I will build My assembly;
and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it." (Matt 16:17-18
mine)

In the history of Christianity ecclesiastical authority
determined on the basis of Yeshua's pronouncement that Peter was the
first Pope. Protestants and Evangelicals have disagreed with that belief
and interpreted the reference to "rock" as pertaining to the revelation
given to Peter. Yeshua does, of course, engage in a certain word play.
In the Tanakh God is frequently called "rock," (Deut 32:15, 18, 30-31;
2Sam 22:2-3, 32, 47; 23:3). To be called "rock" was also a Semitic
expression designating the solid foundation upon which a community would
be built. For instance, a Jewish midrash explains Abraham to be the rock
of Israel based on Isaiah 51:1-2:

"When the
Holy One wanted to create the world he passed over the generations of
Enoch and the Flood, but when he saw Avraham who was to arise, he said
'Behold, I have found a rock (petra) on which I can build and establish
the world.' Therefore he called Avraham a rock, as it is said (Isaiah
51:1-2), 'Look to the rock from which you were hewn.'" (Yalkut on
B'midbar/Numbers 23:9; cited in Kasdan 173).

Moreover Yeshua followed his declaration by making an
important promise to Peter, "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of
heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven" (Matt
16:19 NASB). The mention of the keys alludes to the authority that the
overseer of the King's household wielded (cf. 2Kgs 18:17-19; Isa
22:19-22). The "binding" and "loosing" were rabbinic terms meaning to
restrict or to permit, to impose a requirement or free from a
requirement (cf. Matt 18:18-19). Yeshua clearly intended Peter to have
significant authority in the Body of Messiah and saw in him potential
for a great leader. Paul shows respect for Yeshua's naming and the
apostle's leadership position by referring to him as Kēphas 8
times in his letters (1Cor 1:12; 3:22; 9:5; 15:5; Gal 1:18; 2:9, 11,
14).

However, it is a gross misrepresentation of Yeshua's words
for Christianity to later determine that Yeshua intended Peter and his
successors to be the leaders of a religion cut off from its Jewish
roots, advocating replacement theology and fomenting widespread
persecution of Jews. The man the Church determined to be the Pope was
not the Galilean Jew that followed Yeshua, but a twisted caricature of
the faithful apostle.

which is translated: Grk. hermēneuō, pres. pass., to (1)
explain, interpret; or (2) translate. The verb occurs only three times
in the Besekh (also John 9:7 and Heb. 7:2), and in variant texts of Luke
24:27 and John 1:38. In the LXX the usual meaning of hermēneuō
renders the Heb. tirgam (SH-8638, to translate), in Ezra 4:7 in
relation to translating a letter written in Aramaic into Hebrew, and in
the old Greek form of Esther 10:11 (see
NETS 440; also
Additions to Esther 11:1) in reference to translating the Letter of
Purim from Mordecai. The verb also occurs in Job 42:17b (LXX
only), an apocryphal addition to the book which contains further details
of Job's life. The verb occurs in an important passage of Josephus to
describe translating the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek (Ant.
XII, 2:1).

Peter: Grk. Petros. See verse 40 above. Again, John's
device of translating Hebrew words for
the benefit of Gentiles demonstrates again that he was writing for a
primarily Jewish audience.

TEXTUAL NOTE: There is some confusion over Simon's ancestral family
name since in the book of John (here; John 21:15, 16, 17) of modern
Bible versions Simon is identified as the "son of John," even though in
Matthew 16:17 Simon is referred to as "Barjona," son of Jonah. The Greek
MSS are clearly divided over the family name here. The reading of Grk.
Iōannou (or variant thereof, "of John" ) reflected in the WH-Text
and the NU-Text is found in p66 (about A.D. 200), p75 (early 3rd c.),
and several other MSS, including Codex Sinaiticus (4th c.), a version of
Vaticanus (4th c.), Old Latin (4th c.), Vulgate-Wordsworth (405), Coptic
(3rd-6th c.), and the church father Nonnus (A.D. 431) (GNT 325).

The majority of Greek MSS (as reflected in the M-Text
and TR) read Grk. Iōna, including Codex Alexandrinus (5th c.), a
version of Codex Vaticanus (4th c.), the Vulgate-Clementine (405), Old
Syriac (2nd-4th c.), Peshitta (2nd-4th c.), Armenian (4th or 5th c.),
Georgian (5th c.) and the church fathers Diatessaron (2nd c.),
Epiphanius (A.D. 403), Chrysostom (A.D. 407) and Cyril (A.D. 444) (GNT
325). The translation "of Jonah" in this verse may be found
in several English versions (DRA, HNV, KJ21, KJV, LITV, NKJV, OJB, WEB,
and YLT) and the seven early English versions (1525 to 1755).

Modern scholars believe that the reading of Iōna in
the majority of MSS represents a scribal assimilation to make the
passages in John conform to Matthew 16:17 (Metzger 172). In other
words, scribes wanted to remove any perceived contradiction between
Matthew and John. However, unlike the verses in John there are no MSS
variants in Matthew 16:17. The majority reading, then, cannot be easily
dismissed. There are two possible explanations for the difference in the
two names. First, in Hebrew Yonah could be a contraction or variant form
of Yochanan, just as Yeshua is a contraction of Y'hoshua. Second, both
bar-Yona and ben-Yochanan could be correct in relation to
Simon's heritage. The Hebrew ben ("son of"), as the Aramaic
bar, can denote a distant ancestor as well as the immediate
biological father. So, there is no reason not to accept Matthew's
account as preserving Simon's ancestral name and the book of John
providing the name of Simon's biological father.

43 On the
morrow, he wished to go forth into Galilee, and he found Philip. And
Yeshua says to him, "Follow me.”

On the morrow: Grk. epaurion, the next day. See verse
29 above. he wished: Grk. thelō, aor., to have a
desire for something or have a purpose for something; will, wish,
desire. to go forth: Grk. exerchomai, aor. inf., to
move away from a place or position, to go or come out. into
Galilee: Grk. Galilaia from the Heb. Galil, lit.
"circle" or "region.” Galilee was the northern part of Israel above the
hill country of Ephraim and of Judah and encompassed the areas
originally given to the tribes of Naphtali, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun,
and Dan.

In the time of Yeshua Galilee was a Roman province
measuring about 40 miles north to south and about 30 miles east to west.
Galilee was bounded by the Province of Syria on the west and north, the
River Jordan and Sea of Galilee on the east and the Province of Judea on
the south. In this time, Herod Antipas governed Galilee and Perea.
Yeshua grew up in Nazareth of Galilee, becoming known as Yeshua of Nazareth (Matt
2:23; 21:11; Luke 4:34; John 1:45). He
devoted most of his earthly ministry to Galilee, and so was also known as
the Galilean (Matt 26:69).

and he found: Grk. heuriskō, pres. See
verse 41 above. Philip: Grk. Philippos,
"fond of horses," composed etymologically from
philia, "fondness, affection," and hippos, "horse." This
was the name of five kings of Macedon, including Philip II the father of
Alexander the Great. The possibilities for the circumstances of
the naming would the be the same as Andrew. It might seem strange for
Andrew and Philip to have Greek names since they were Hebraic Jews from
Bethsaida (mentioned in the next verse), but such a practice was not
uncommon in Israel.

There are four men named Philip in the Besekh: (1) Philip a
son of Herod the Great and Mariamne; first husband of Herodias (Matt
14:3; Luke 3:19). He was a half-brother of Herod Antipas. (2) Philip the
Tetrarch, a son of Herod the Great and Cleopatra of Jerusalem (Luke
3:1). (3) Philip the evangelist and one of the first deacons (Acts 6:5);
and (4) the apostle of Yeshua mentioned here. This Philip is mentioned
15 times in the Besekh, 11 of which are in this book. Philip is included
in the list of those who awaited Pentecost (Acts 1:13), but the Besekh
says no more of him. According to Polycrates, an early church writer
Philip was "one of the great lights of Asia" (Barker 284).

And Yeshua: Grk. Iēsous. See verse 17 above.
says: Grk. legō. See verse 15 above.follow: Grk.
akoloutheō, pres. imp. See verse 37 above. me:
Grk. egō, personal pronoun, i.e., Yeshua. The command represents
an invitation of a rabbi to a person to become a disciple and most
likely had the dual meaning of physically following Yeshua and giving
Yeshua his allegiance.

44 Now Philip was
from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter.

Now: Grk. de, conj. Philip: See the previous
verse. was: Grk. eimi, impf. See verse 1 above. from:
Grk. apo, prep. generally used to denote separation, but here
indicates a place of origin; from. Bethsaida: Grk. Bēthsaida,
a transliteration of Heb. Beit-Tsaidah, a location name meaning
"house of fish." The city was located on the northeastern shore of the
Sea of Galilee. The apostolic narratives place the city near Chorazin
(Matt 11:21). Josephus locates Bethsaida east of the Jordan and in lower
Gaulanitis, the Tetrarchy of Philip (WarsII, 9:1;
III, 3:5). See a map of
Bethsaida
here. It's very possible
that Philip was noteworthy figure in Bethsaida.

Since the birthplace of Philip was Bethsaida, Philip's
parents may have named him after the Tetrarch. According to Josephus the
Tetrarch's character was exceptional and his rule of 37 years was just
and fair (Ant.
XVIII, 4:6). He improved the town of Paneas and renamed it Caesarea,
later called Caesarea Philippi (Matt 16:13) to avoid confusion with
Caesarea on the Mediterranean Sea. He also rebuilt the town of Bethsaida
and named it Julias in honor of the Emperor Augustus' daughter (Ant.
XVIII, 2:1).

of the city: Grk. polis, a population center whose size or
number of inhabitants could range broadly, a city or town. of:
Grk. ek, prep. See verse 16 above. Andrew: See
verse 40 above. and Peter: See verse 40 above. We
learn here that Bethsaida was the hometown of Andrew, Peter, and Philip.
This does mean that the men resided in the city at this time. It's
noteworthy that John says Andrew and Peter were "of" Bethsaida, but not
"from" it.

45 Philip
finds Nathanael, and tells him, "We have found him, of whom Moses in the
Torah, and the Prophets, wrote: Yeshua, son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”

Philip: See the note on verse 43 above. finds: Grk.
heuriskō, pres. act. ind. See the note on verse 41 above.
Nathanael: Grk. Nathanaēl, a transliteration of Heb.
Natan'el (God has given). No information is provided on how Philip
knew Nathaniel, but they were obviously friends. Nathanael is generally
thought to be the same person as Bartholomew (Grk. Bartholomaios,
a transliteration of bar-Talmai; Matt 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14;
Acts 1:13), because Bartholomew does not occur at all in the Gospel of
John and Nathanael does not occur at all in the Synoptic Gospels. The
name of Nathanael appears only in this chapter (5 times) and 21:2 where
it says he came from Cana of Galilee.

Talmai is a biblical name occurring twice in the Tanakh of the King of Geshur
(2Sam 3:3; 13:37. Stern suggests that Talmai is a Hebrew
transliteration of "Ptolemy," the name given to several Egyptian kings
after the Alexandrian conquests of 336–323 BC (118). It would not be
strange for a Jew to have an Egyptian name. Bar is generally
identified as Aramaic for "son of." Yet, in Jewish correspondence of the time
there are examples of where the Aramaic bar is used in Hebrew
correspondence and, likewise, Hebrew ben is sometimes used in
Aramaic correspondence, and both of these occasionally appear in Greek
(Hamp 19).

However, scholars ignore the fact that bar was a
Hebrew word for "son" (SH-1248), and occurs four times in the Tanakh (Ps
2:12; Prov 31:2 [3t]). While bar may have originated from Aramaic
its early assimilation into Israelite culture made the word Hebrew, just
as English has absorbed words from other languages. The connection of
bar with a name (e.g., Bar-abbas, Bartholomaios,
Bar-iēsous, Bar-iona, Bar-nabas, Bar-sabas, Bar-timaios)
says nothing about the ethnicity or language of the person. "Nathanael"
could be the proper name of the "son of Talmai."

We have found: Grk. heuriskō, perf. him of whom
Moses: See verse 17 above. Like Andrew in
verse 41 above Philip implies that he, too, had been waiting and
searching for the Messiah would fulfill the prophecies of Scripture.
in the Torah: Grk. nomos. See verse 17 above.
Here the Torah refers to the Pentateuch or five books that Moses wrote.
and the Prophets: pl. of Grk. prophētēs. See
verse 21 above. The plural noun denotes the literary works in the Tanakh
called Nevi'im written by Hebrew prophets. The Nevi'im
included the Early Prophets (Joshua through 2 Kings) and the Latter
Prophets (Isaiah through Malachi), except Daniel which was included in
the K'tuvim (Writings). The mention of the literary Prophets
occurs 29 times in the Besekh, 15 of which are combined with a mention
Moses or the Torah (Matt 5:17; 7:12; 11:13; 22:40; Luke 16:16, 29, 31;
24:27, 44; John 1:45 Acts 13:15; 24:14; 26:22; 28:23; Rom 3:21).

wrote: Grk. graphō, aor., to write or inscribe, generally in
reference to a document. The aorist tense emphasizes the completed
nature of the work. In just a few words Philip affirms the Jewish belief
that the great works of the Tanakh were penned by the men associated
with those works, contrary to so-called "scholars" in Christianity who
find reasons not to accept such authorship. Archaeology has confirmed
the existence of writing from at least 3100 BC. The El-Amarna tablets,
dated at 1500 BC, contain Hebrew. There is no reason to reject the
Jewish view of Tanakh authorship in favor of anonymous writers who left
absolutely no mark on Jewish history except as the supposed authors of
its greatest literature. Yeshua: See verse 17 above.

son of: Grk. huios, son in the biological sense. See verse 34 above. Joseph: Grk. Iōsēph, a
transliteration of Heb. Yosef ("he adds, increases," Gen 30:24).
With this name reference John uses the words of Philip to summarize the
entire nativity story. It is noteworthy that Philip says "son of Joseph"
and not "son of Miriam" (which only occurs in Mark 6:3). Indeed, Yeshua
is identified more frequently as the son of Joseph (also Matt
13:55; Luke 2:48; 3:23; 4:22; John 6:42) than of his mother. Almost all
that is known about Joseph is given in the nativity narratives. Joseph
was Yeshua's legal father, as Matthew makes clear. Indeed the
success of the entire Messianic enterprise depended on the willingness
of this godly man to assume the stewardship role of being Yeshua's
father.

There may be a touch of irony and certainly a parallel to
the story of the first Joseph. The father of both men named Joseph was named
Jacob. The first Joseph is regarded by many as a type of the Messiah,
because through him deliverance came to the entire family of Jacob. (See
my web article
Was Joseph a Type of Jesus?) So
too, the Joseph of the nativity would be part of God's plan to again
bring deliverance to His people, but a much more significant
deliverance, freedom from sin. It was to Joseph of Nazareth that an
angel appeared prohibiting him to divorce Miriam (Matt 1:23-24) and
later directing him in a dream to take his family to Egypt (Matt 2:13)
and again directing him to leave Egypt and return to Israel (Matt
2:19-20). He then, with Miriam, raised Yeshua so that he "grew both in
wisdom and in stature" (Luke 2:52). In Matthew 13:55 we learn that
Joseph was a carpenter and from Mark 6:3 that Yeshua had adopted this
trade.

Scholars generally assume that Joseph died sometime before
Yeshua's public ministry began. Two verses are relevant to making this
assumption. First, Yeshua passed the care of his mother to John the
apostle just before his death (John 19:26-27), so she must have been a
widow at that point. Second, in John 6:42 there is a quote from some
grumblers, "Is not this Yeshua, the son of Joseph, whose father and
mother we know?" Interpretation depends on identifying the antecedent of
"father and mother." If the antecedent is Yeshua, then the perfect tense
of "know" would imply that Joseph was still alive at that point.
However, the personal pronoun "whose" being of the same genitive case as
Joseph, would indicate that the grumblers speak of Joseph's parents.
This interpretation seems the most likely.

The reference to "the son of Joseph" is not a mere
genealogical statement, but an indication that Philip knew of Joseph.
Though the narrative does not explore the back-story it's very likely
that Joseph had gained a reputation for being a craftsman and had gained
some social status in the region. The following mention of his city and
Matthew's declaration that Joseph was a righteous man (Matt 1:19) might
also suggest that Joseph was known for his generous character in taking
a pregnant woman as a wife and raising her son as his own. Thus, the
announcement of Philip might convey a certain degree of surprise, as
well as satisfaction.

from Nazareth: Grk. Nazaret (sometimes Nazara or
Nazareth), which transliterates the Heb. Natzeret
("watchtower"), the name of a town in Galilee. Nazareth was located
about seventy miles northeast of Jerusalem in lower Galilee about
halfway between the Sea of Galilee and the Mediterranean Sea. It lay in
the hill country north of the Plain of Esdraelon. The hills formed a
natural basin with three sides, but open toward the south. The city was
on the slopes of the basin, facing east and southeast. A Roman road from
Capernaum westward to the coast passed near Nazareth, over which Roman
legions frequently traveled. The small town does not appear in the
Tanakh at all and only came to prominence because of its association
with Yeshua.

Sometimes the label uses Nazarēnos, an inhabitant of
Nazareth, 6 times (Mark 1:24; 10:47; 14:67; 16:6; Luke 4:34; 24:19), and
sometimes Nazōraios, associated with the name Nazareth, 13 times,
all but one in reference to Yeshua (Matt 2:23; 26:71; Luke 18:37; John
18:5, 7; 19:19; Acts 2:22; 3:6; 4:10; 6:14; 22:8; 26:9). The translation
of Nazōraios as "Nazarene" in Christian versions is somewhat
misleading, because the English word could imply membership in a
religious group (cf. Acts 24:5; Heb. Natzratim, Delitzsch).
However, for Yeshua the term always represents a connection with the
town of Nazareth. The CJB and TLV translate the word with the better
form of Natzrati. HNV and OJB use Natzri.

The naming convention of identifying persons by place of
origin distinguished them from other persons with the same name.
"Yeshua" was not an uncommon name, so this Yeshua is dubbed ho
Nazarēnos (Mark 10:47), "the Nazarene," or more accurately "of
Nazareth." It should be noted that the last letter of Heb. Natzeret
was dropped and a masculine adjective suffix added to form the label, in
some instances aios, resulting in Nazōraios, and in other
constructions nos, resulting in Nazarēnos. The same Greek
construction may be found in other names, such as Miriam of Magdala
(Luke 8:2), Judas of Galilee (Acts 5:37), Lucius of Cyrene (Acts 13:1),
Dionysius the Areopagite (Acts 17:34), and "the Egyptian" (Acts
21:38).

46 And
Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good be of Nazareth?” Philip says
to him, "Come and see.”

Nazareth: See the previous verse. Some scholars
interpret Nathanael's question as giving the impression that Nazareth
did not possess a good reputation. Such lack of respect may have been
due to an unpolished dialect, a lack of culture, or a measure of
irreligion and moral laxity (so Tenney; "Nazareth," HBD; NIBD). The
proximity to passing Roman legions gave excuse to the later slander of
unbelieving Jews and Gnostics that Yeshua was the son of Panthera, a
Roman soldier (see Sanhedrin
67b, fn 12; Origen, Contra
Celsum
I:69).

However, Morris rightly points out that nothing is actually
known pejorative of Nazareth. "It was not a famous city, but we have no
reason for thinking it was infamous." Just as likely is that Nathanael
just couldn't imagine the Messiah coming from such an insignificant
place. Even the Jewish rulers would later discount Yeshua's Messiahship
on the basis of his hometown, because the Messiah was supposed to come
from Bethlehem (John 7:42). They apparently didn't know of Yeshua's
birth in Bethlehem. Another possibility is that since Nathanael came
from Cana his remark might reflect the sort of rivalry that exists among
small towns not far from one another.

Philip: See verse 43 above. says: Grk. legō. to him: Grk. autos, i.e., Nathanael.
Come: Grk. erchomai, pres. mid. imp., to come or arrive, with
implication of a position from which action or movement takes place. The
imperative mood indicates an entreaty rather than a command. and:
Grk. kai, conj. see: Grk. horaō, aor. imp. See verse 18 above. Philip did not attempt to make a reasoned
argument, but rather employed a common Rabbinic expression, "Come and
see." This formula suggested that a solution to the particular problem
was possible and should be sought together (Morris).

47 Yeshua
saw Nathanael coming toward him, and he said concerning him, "Behold,
truly an Israelite in whom is no guile!”

Yeshua: Grk. Iēsous. See verse 17 above.
saw: Grk. horaō, aor. See verse 18
above. Nathanael: Grk. Nathanaēl. See verse 45
above. coming: Grk. erchomai, pres. mid. part. toward
him: Nathanael was not many paces away, certainly within hearing
distance. and he said concerning him: Not often does Yeshua make
a character assessment of someone. Behold: Grk. ide, the
imperative of eidon ("see"), used as a an interjection, (you)
see! truly: Grk. alēthōs, adv., corresponding to what is
really so; truly, really, actually. an Israelite: Grk.
Israēlitēs, a descendant of Israel the patriarch and member of the
people of Israel.

in whom is no: Grk. ou, adv., 'not' as an emphatic denial of fact.
guile: Grk. dolos, cunning that relies on deception for
effectiveness; craftiness, deceit. Although there is no evidence of a
prior relationship or prior knowledge Yeshua knew Nathanael's character.
Being without guile is tantamount to saying that Nathanael was honest to
a fault and truthful in speech, which may explain his comment about
Nazareth. Nathanael was not the sort to play games, nor one to hide his
thoughts. Plain speaking can be quite admirable, but it can also be
annoying. Reinhartz manages to find an allusion in Yeshua's words to
Jacob whom she slanders by saying that he "deceitfully supplanted his
twin brother, Esau, in receiving his father's Isaac's blessing" (160).
See my web article
Our Father Jacob that sets the record straight.

48 Nathanael
said to him, "How do you know me?” Yeshua answered and said to him,
"Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.”

Nathanael: See verse 45 above. said: Grk. legō.
See verse 15 above. Nathanael's reaction is
not one of "aw-shucks" humility, but an honest query as to how Yeshua
knew anything about him. How: Grk. pothen, interrogative
adverb regarding an answer to account for something; 'how is it that' or
'how can it be that.' do you know: Grk. ginoskō, to be in receipt of information with the focus on awareness
or to form a judgment or to draw a conclusion. me: Grk. egō.
Yeshua: See verse 17 above. answered: Grk.
apokrinomai, aor. pass., to answer or respond to a query. See verse 21 above. and said: Grk. legō, aor. The combination of the verbs "answered and said" is a
typical Hebraic way of advancing the narrative of dialog (e.g., Gen
27:39; 40:18; Josh 24:16; Jdg 20:4; 2Sam 1:17). The verb "answered"
emphasizes that a verbal response was made and "said" introduces the
quotation.

to him: i.e., Nathanael. Before: Grk. pro, prep.,
indicates precedence or a time earlier than; ahead, before. Philip:
See verse 43 above. called: Grk. phōneō, aor. inf., may mean (1) to utter a sound designed to attract attention,
cry out or proclaim; (2) call to oneself, summon, call for, invite; or
(3) identify in personal address, call. The second meaning is intended
here. you, I saw: Grk. horaō, aor. See verse 34 above. you under: Grk. hupo, prep., to
indicate a position that is relatively lower; below, under. the fig
tree: Grk. sukē, for Heb. teenah, which also refers to
the fruit of the tree, a fruit-producing plant which could be either a
tall tree or a low-spreading shrub. The size of the tree depended on its
location and soil.

The fig tree was one of the blessings promised to Israel in
the Land (Deut 8:8) and thus became important to Israelite agriculture.
The wood of the fig tree was the primary source of kindling used for the
fire on the Temple altar (Tamid
2:1;
Yoma 24b).
The blooms of the fig tree always appear before the leaves in Spring.
There were usually two crops of figs a year. Figs were eaten fresh
(2Kgs 18:31), pressed into cakes (2Sam 25:18), and used as a poultice
(Isa 38:21). Taken at face value the narrative indicates that Yeshua saw
Nathanael sitting under a fig tree. However, this information by itself
is not sufficient to explain Nathanael's response in the next verse.
Nathanael attributes significant meaning to Yeshua's words and takes
them as something supernatural. After all, Nathanael had never met Him
before this moment.

Morris explains that the fig tree is used in the Tanakh as
symbolic of someone's home (cf. 2Kgs 4:25; 2Kgs 18:31; Isa 36:16; Mic
4:4; Zech 3:10), that in Rabbinic writings the shade of a fig tree was
used as a place for prayer, meditation and study (Berachot
16a). The sages also had a saying, "If one sees a fig tree in a
dream, his learning will be preserved within him, as it says: Whoso
keeps the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof"
(Prov 27:18; Ber.
57a). In
addition, "gathering figs" was an expression in later sources that meant
"studying," apparently because rabbinic scholars believed the tree of
knowledge in Genesis 3 was a fig tree (Ber.
40a) (Reinhartz 160).

So, it's very likely that a man in whom was no guile was
someone accustomed to spending time alone with God in prayer and study,
and so Yeshua acknowledges his devotional habit. On the other hand it
may be as Lightfoot says that Nathanael was under an actual fig tree to
spend time in prayer or religious study (3:247). Could it be that
Nathanael was praying for revelation of the Messiah? Yeshua's statement
is not unlike that of God speaking to Moses, "I have seen and given
heed" (Ex 3:7. Yeshua says that he "saw" Nathanael's character, his
godly conduct and the cry of his heart. So Philip's announcement coupled
with Yeshua's revelation produced an enthusiastic response.

49 Nathanael
answered him, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!"

Nathanael: See verse 45 above. answered: Grk.
apokrinō,, aor. pass. See verse 21 above. Rabbi:
Grk. rhabbi, voc. case. See verse 38 above. you
are theSon of God: For this title See verse 34
above. Whether Nathanael actually heard Yochanan's announcement is not
clear, but Philip had informed him that the one of whom Moses spoke had
arrived. So, for Nathanael that meant the Messiah. You are the
King: Grk. basileus, king or chief ruler. In the LXX
basileus appears frequently to translate Heb. melek. In the
Tanakh the title "king" was not associated with the size of territory
governed (often a city), but the authority wielded. The executive and
judicial functions (and sometimes legislative) of government were vested
in one person.

of Israel:
Grk. Israēl. See verse 31 above. The title occurs 130
times in the Tanakh, but only four times in the Besekh (Matt 27:42; Mark
15:32; John 12:13). Nathanael obviously treats "Son of God" and "King of
Israel" as synonymous titles, illustrating that Jews used the title of
"Son of God" with a different meaning than used in Christianity. The
apostolic writings repeatedly interpret the Messianic role in terms of
kingship and emphasize that Yeshua is the present King of Israel (also
John 12:13), King of the Jews (Matt 2:2; 27:11, 37) and King of the
nations (Gen 49:10; Rev 15:3) reigning from heaven (Acts 2:32-33; 5:31;
7:55-56; Rom 8:34; Eph 1:20; Col 3:1), but will also be the future king
reigning from Jerusalem in the age to come (Zech 14:1-8; Luke 21:27-28;
Rom 11:26; Rev 14:1; 20:6-9). Too many disciples want to reduce Yeshua's
role in the present age to Savior and ignore the fact that Yeshua is a
King to whom they owe absolute obedience.

50 Yeshua
answered and said to him, "Because I told you that I saw you underneath
the fig tree, you believe? You will see greater things!”

you believe? Grk. pisteuō in general Greek
usage means to have confidence or faith in the reliability or
trustworthiness of some thing or someone. In the LXX pisteuō
renders the Heb. 'aman, which essentially means to confirm or
support (BDB 52). In the Niphal form 'aman means to be true,
reliable or faithful and can be applied to men (e.g., Moses, Num 12:7),
but especially to God who keeps his covenant and gives grace to those
who love him (Deut 7:9). In the Hiphil form 'aman means to stand
firm or trust as Abraham trusted in God's promise (Gen 15:6). The
Hebrew concepts of trust and faithfulness are inseparable. If one trusts,
then one is faithful. Far too many Christians truncate "believe" into
affirming a creed or believing in the God of the Bible or even trusting
in Yeshua's atoning work for salvation. Unfortunately, such believing
and trusting does not always result in faithfulness. Being a disciple
requires more than just believing.

You will see: Grk. horaō, fut. mid. See verse 18
above. The future tense constitutes a prophetic promise. greater:
pl. of Grk. megas, adj., exceeding a standard and therefore
impressive; great. The plural form emphasizes intensity and thus used
here in an adverbial sense of 'greater.' things: pl. of Grk. toũto,
neut. demonstrative pronoun, this, it. The plural is one of
intensity, because Yeshua had alluded to only one thing - his statement
of seeing Nathanael under a fig tree. Yeshua's statement is tantamount
to the modern vernacular, "You ain't seen nothing yet." Nathanael along
with the other disciples would witness Yeshua perform a wide variety of
creation and providential miracles throughout his three-year ministry.
Yeshua then proceeds to prophesy a "greater thing."

51 And he
said to him, "Truly, truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened, and
the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

And: Grk. kai, conj. See verse 1 above. he said:
Grk. legō, lit. "says." See verse 15 above. to
him: Grk. autos; i.e., Nathanael. Truly: Grk. amēn ("ah–mayn") reflects a strong affirmation,
meaning "so let it be" or "truly." In the LXX amēn transliterates
the Heb. 'amen (ah–mayn, SH–543), which means "it is true, so be
it, or may it become true." The Heb. root aman means "to confirm
or support." The word amēn reflects an Hebraic conviction that
God's words were to be reverently received. In typical Jewish usage the
singular amēn points to something previously said (Stern 26). For
example, in the Torah people responded with "amen" for each of the
curses as they were pronounced (Deut 27:15 +11t) and on other occasions
"amen" was a congregational response to a public blessing of God (1Chr
16:36; Neh 5:13; Ps 106:48). In the Synoptic narratives amēn
occurs 57 times in declarative statements of Yeshua, of which 34 are
unique.

According to standard versions amēn is used to
introduce axiomatic statements in Kingdom instruction, parables and
prophecies. Stern contends, though, that many of those occurrences
follow Jewish practice and rather than introducing statements the "amen"
actually affirms the sentence spoken immediately before. (Examine the
context of Matt 5:18, 26; 6:2, 5, 16; 10:15, 42; 13:17; 18:18; 23:36;
24:34, 47; and 26:13). Christian interpreters may have assumed "amen"
begins statements because of the arbitrary verse divisions imposed on
the Greek text in the mid-16th century by Robert Stephanus (aka Robert
Estienne). However, Yeshua sometimes uses "amen" to introduce a
declaration (e.g., Matt 8:10; 11:11; 16:28; 17:20; 19:23; 21:21; 24:2;
25:12, 45; 26:21). Similar usage does occur in the Tanakh (1Kgs 1:36;
Jer 28:6). However, Yeshua employs amēn in a different manner
here.

truly: Grk. amēn is repeated. In the Besekh the double use of amēn
occurs only in the Book of John (25 times). The double "amen" does occur
in the Tanakh as a response to a priestly declaration (Num 5:22; Neh
8:6), as well as in the construction "amen and amen" as the appropriate
affirmation of a blessing (Ps 41:13; 72:19; 89:52). However, Yeshua uses
"amēnamēn" as a prefix to the statement that follows,
which is without parallel in Jewish literature (Morris 169). There is no
good reason not to accept the grammar as authentic and Yeshua was quite
capable of being innovative. The double use of amēn reinforces
the complete reliability and truthfulness of Yeshua's prophetic
teaching. Moreover, the double "amen," spoken in the presence of God,
asserts the character of the Messiah who is the Truth (John 14:6) and
implies God's endorsement.

I tell: Grk. legō.
you: pl. of Grk. su, pronoun of the second person. The
shift from the singular of "him" to the plural of "you" indicates that
Yeshua addresses both Nathanael and Philip. Yeshua then proceeds to add
to his prophecy. you will see: Grk. horaō, fut. mid.
See verse 18 above. The verb is second person plural, thus
applying to both disciples. heaven: Grk. ouranos. See verse 32 above. Yeshua probably means the third heaven where
God's throne is located. opened: Grk. anoigō, perf.
part., to open, frequently used of doors to make a room accessible. The
perfect tense, lit. "having been opened," points to an event completed
in past time with continuing results to the present. The opening of
heaven is idiomatic of God revealing mysteries not previously understood
by man, especially concerning His Son (cf. Ezek 1:1; Mark 1:10; Luke
3:21; Acts 7:56; Rev 19:11).

and the angels: pl. of Grk. angelos means one sent, a messenger,
whether human or heavenly (BAG). In Greek culture angelos
originally referred to an ambassador in human affairs who speaks on
behalf of another, including as a messenger of the gods (DNTT 1:101f).
In the LXX angelos renders Heb. malak, which means
messenger, representative, courier or angel. The decision to translate
malak or angelos as angel or human relies primarily on the
context. About half of the occurrences in the Tanakh refer to humans,
such as to denote a prophet (Eccl 5:6; Isa 42:19; Mal 2:7) and a priest
(Hag 1:13; Mal 3:1). In the Besekh angelos occurs 175 times, and is used of men
only 13 times (Matt 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 7:24, 27; 9:52; Jas 2:25; Rev
1:20; 2:1, 8, 12; 3:1, 7, 14).

Here angelos refers to heavenly beings. While little
is known of angel hierarchy, post-Tanakh Judaism developed an elaborate
angelology (Stern 824), primarily the Essenes and Pharisees. The
Sadducees did not believe in angels (Acts 23:8). Angels figure
prominently in Scripture as ministering spirits (Mark 1:13; Heb 1:14)
and are far different from the Hollywood depiction and popular
assumptions about angels. Angels are not glorified humans that earn
status in heaven by doing good works on earth. All individual angels
mentioned in Scripture have masculine names or descriptions, contrary to
popular art and media, which sometimes depicts them as female. In
addition, only a special group of heavenly beings are mentioned in
Scripture as having wings (Ex 37:9; Isa 6:2; Ezek 10:5; Rev 4:8), and
these beings may not be angels at all.

Angels do serve as personal guardians of the saints (Matt
18:10; Acts 12:15) and are in attendance at gatherings of believers for
worship (1Cor 11:10). Michael's protector role in relation to Israel
(Dan 12:1), suggests that other angels are similarly assigned in other
parts of the world where the Body of the Messiah is found. Angels
assisted in giving the Torah (Deut 33:2; Acts 7:53; Gal 3:19; Heb 2:2).
The experience of Job illustrates the power of angels when given
permission to use it. Angels do the Lord's bidding and sometimes are
God's instruments in executing his judgment, particularly among his own
people (2Sam 24:17; Acts 12:23). Given the double meaning of malak/angelos
Scripture often adds an appropriate description to confirm the messenger
as angelic as here.

This reference to the angels may contain irony. Yochanan
the Immerser announced that Yeshua was the "Son of God" (the Davidic
Messiah), but the angels were the first one's to be called "sons of God"
(Job 38:7; cf. Job 1:6; 2:1; Luke 20:36). of God: Grk. theos,
the God of Israel. See verse 1 above. ascending: Grk.
anabainō, pres. part., to go up to a point or place that is
higher than the point of origin, sometimes in the context of going up
steps. Idiomatically the verb means to enter or approach. and
descending: Grk. katabainō, pres. part., to proceed in a
direction that is down, come or go down. The present tense emphasizes
the duration of the descent from the starting point. According to
ancient Jewish belief angels continually ascend and descend between
heaven and earth, particularly to escort the righteous to heaven (Baba
Metzia
85b).

on: Grk. epi, prep.; the root meaning is 'upon.' Since the
following noun ("son") is in the accusative case then epi
emphasizes motion or direction (DM 106). The preposition does not imply
physical touching. theSon: Grk. ho huios. See verse 34 above. of Man: Grk. anthrōpos.
See verse 1 above. The title occurs 107 times in the Tanakh, and 89 times in
the Besekh. In the Tanakh "Son of Man" translates the Heb. ben
adam in every instance except Daniel 7:13, which has the Aram.
barenash. The idiom of "Son of man," or "son of the first
man, namely Adam," is thoroughly Hebraic and has no
counterpart in Greek culture. Christian interpreters typically treat
"Son of Man" in the context of Yeshua's ministry as representative of
his identification with humanity, whereas "Son of God" pertains to his
deity. In Hebraic thought these expressions mean just the opposite.

The Christian notion is based on the fact that in the
Tanakh, except in two passages, ben adam is idiomatic for "man"
or "human being," occurring 11 times in a general sense of all mankind
(e.g., Num 23:19). This sense also occurs when God addresses two
prophets as "son of man:" Ezekiel (93 times) and Daniel, once (Dan
8:17). However, the two exceptional passages point to a Messianic
figure. First, the "son of Man" is the Davidic deliverer:

"God of
armies, please come back! Look from heaven, see, and tend this vine!
15 Protect what your right hand planted, the son you made
strong for yourself. 16 It is burned by fire, it is cut down; they
perish at your frown of rebuke. 17 Help the man at your right hand, the
son of man you made strong for yourself. 18 Then we won't turn
away from you if you revive us, we will call on your name. 19 ADONAI,
God of armies, restore us! Make your face shine, and we will be saved."
(Ps 80:14-19 CJB; cf. Ps 2:7, 12; 110:1)

Second, "Son of Man" is the eschatological supra-natural
figure from heaven who establishes a kingdom on the earth. Daniel saw
him.

"I kept
watching the night visions, when I saw, coming with the clouds of
heaven, someone like a son of man. He approached the Ancient One
and was led into his presence. 14 To him was given rulership, glory and
a kingdom, so that all peoples, nations and languages should serve him.
His rulership is an eternal rulership that will not pass away; and his
kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. … 27 Then the kingdom, the
rulership and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will
be given to the holy people of the Most High. Their kingdom is an
everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will serve and obey them.'" (Dan
7:13-14, 27 CJB)

For first-century Jews the
"Son of Man" is Daniel's divine redeemer in human form. He appears
younger than the Ancient of Days and will be enthroned on high. Jewish
intertestamental literature expounded strongly on his identity and
activity (cf. Book of Enoch Chapter 46).
David Flusser, Orthodox Jewish scholar and professor at Hebrew
University, explains,

"In all of
the sources, the one resembling a man is portrayed in a consistent
manner. The Son of Man has a superhuman, heavenly sublimity. He is the
cosmic judge at the end of time. Sitting upon the throne of God, judging
the entire human race with the aid of the heavenly hosts, he will
consign the just to blessedness and the wicked to the pit of hell.
Frequently he is identified with the Messiah, but he can also be
identified with Enoch, who was taken up into heaven." (112)

In the apostolic narratives the title "Son of Man" occurs
over 80 times on the lips of Yeshua, almost always of himself. In
American culture someone speaking of himself in the third person would
seem very strange. Young notes that for this reason a few Christian
scholars came to the conclusion that Yeshua speaks of someone else
whereas others treat the expression as a simple circumlocution meaning
"I" (252). While the latter interpretation has a bearing on his usage,
Yeshua's self-description as the Son of Man is purposeful to connect his
ministry with the fulfillment of prophecy and to demonstrate the
complexity of his mission. Let's consider how
Yeshua uses the expression.

First, Yeshua did use "Son of Man" as a
personal circumlocution in 6 verses with an ordinary sense in lieu of
saying "I" or "me." For example, the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his
head (Matt 8:20; para. Luke 9:58). The Son of Man came eating and
drinking (Matt 11:19; para. Luke 7:34). Yeshua asked his disciples "who
do people say the Son of Man is" (Matt 16:13), and then clarified with
"who do you say I am." He also says in Luke 12:8, "everyone who
confesses me before men the Son of Man ["I"] will confess him before the
angels."

Second, "son of man" is used as a
representational idiom in 8 verses for every person. This usage appears
in the passages where he speaks of the son of man having authority to
forgive sins, which listeners understood to be applied to them (Matt
9:6-8; para. Mark 2:10; Luke 5:24), the son of man being master of his
Sabbath observance (Matt 12:8; para. Mark 2:28; Luke 6:5) and the son of
man as being the target of blasphemy that can be forgiven (Matt 12:32;
para. Luke 12:10). The idiomatic use is obscured because Bible versions
always capitalize "Son of Man" wherever it occurs in the Besekh. Far
more significant is the next two usages of Son of Man.

Third,
the Son of Man is the end-time Judge and King. He will come in power at
the end of the present age with his angels and sit on his throne. This
usage appears in 28 verses, sometimes alluding to Daniel's prophecy.

"But
when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him,
then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be
gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the
shepherd separates the sheep from the goats." (Matt 25:31 NASB)

Fourth,
the Son of Man suffers in order to bring salvation from sin. He will be
killed by judicial decree and buried, but then be gloriously raised from
the dead. This usage occurs in 42 verses.

"The Son of Man must suffer many things and be
rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and
be raised up on the third day (Luke 9:22 NASB)

Yeshua used the expression in accordance with common Jewish
interpretation of the time. He was Daniel's cosmic judge from heaven
(Mark 8:38; 13:26; 14:62), but in applying the title to his mission
Yeshua added the unexpected element of suffering (Mark 8:31; 9:12, 31;
10:33, 45). In the book of John the paradoxical elements of the Son of
Man are combined to emphasize his incarnation. The Son of Man has
already descended (John 3:13). The hour of his suffering will also be
the hour of his glorification (John 12:23; 13:31). Frequently in John's
book "Son of Man" is shortened simply to "the Son" who does the will of
the Father (John 3:17, 35, 36; 5:19-23, 26; 6:40; 8:35-36; 14:13; 17:1).

In this passage
Yeshua adds an intriguing element to his self-description. Some commentators (e.g., Henry Morris, Rienhartz, Stern,
Tenney) suggest the prophecy of angels ascending and descending on the
Son of Man alludes to the theophany seen by the patriarch Jacob:

"Then
Jacob departed from Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 He came
to a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun had set;
and he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head,
and lay down in that place. 12 He had a dream, and behold, a
ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold,
the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 And
behold, the LORD stood above it and said, "I am the LORD, the God of
your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I
will give it to you and to your descendants." (Gen 28:10-13 NASB)

Jacob's dream contained three significant features: angels,
a ladder and ADONAI (Heb. YHVH). The word for ladder is Heb.
sullam and only occurs here in the Bible. Whatever its physical form
may have been it had a symbolic meaning that was not explained to Jacob.
Then there were angels coming and going from heaven to earth doing God's
work as many verses in the Bible attest. Jacob also saw YHVH in physical
form, very likely representative of Yeshua, the heavenly Son of Man.
Henry Morris suggests that Nathanael may have been meditating on the
Genesis story when Philip approached him with the good news, and thus
Nathanael received a revelation that Jacob's ladder represented the
Messiah, the mediator between God and mankind (DSB 1134). By the means
of this "ladder" one may ascend to heaven and be in the company of
angels. Yeshua himself ascended into heaven forty days after his
resurrection and Nathanael witnessed the event (Acts 1:9-11).

Gill points out that some of the Medieval Jewish writers
understood the ascent and descent of the angels in Genesis 28:12 to be,
not upon the ladder, but upon Jacob (Genesis Rabbah sect. fol. 68. 61.
2. & sect. 69. fol. 61. 3, 4).
Rashi in his commentary on Jacob's dream, concurs with this point of
view interpreting the dream to mean that the angels ascended and
descended upon Jacob to escort him in the Holy Land. It is worth
noting that Yeshua makes no connection with the ladder in the dream,
only with the ascending and descending of the angels.

"For you
shall in me observe such plenty, both of revelation and miracle, that it
shall seem to you as if the heavens were opened and the angels were
ascending and descending, to bring with them all manner of revelation,
authority, and power from God, to be imparted to the Son of Man."
(3:249)